Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keflavik and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,992 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
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Keflavik Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$2,992

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Keflavik and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Keflavik and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,992 in Keflavik versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Keflavik $2,992
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,538 in Keflavik versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Keflavik $4,538
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,084 in Keflavik versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Keflavik $6,084
Nosara $3,818

Living in Keflavik is roughly 63% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Keflavik 122% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.71 ISK 2,997

$12.35 ₡5,539

100.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

102.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.40 ISK 2,475

$7.52 ₡3,373

171.28%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ISK 493

$4.41 ₡1,978

-7.94%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ISK 386

$1.74 ₡780

82.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ISK 387

$1.31 ₡587

143.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.00 ISK 970

$3.28 ₡1,471

143.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.34 ISK 1,012

$4.47 ₡2,004

86.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.56 ₡701

34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 ISK 513

$3.02 ₡1,355

40.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ISK 307

$2.51 ₡1,125

0.80%

Eggs

$6.32 ISK 767

$3.57 ₡1,603

77.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ISK 2,311

$7.43 ₡3,333

156.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.38 ISK 2,958

$10.52 ₡4,717

131.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.25 ISK 5,003

$13.97 ₡6,265

195.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 ISK 301

$2.35 ₡1,052

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 ISK 304

$1.61 ₡720

55.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ISK 296

$4.80 ₡2,152

-49.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 486

$1.61 ₡724

149.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 ISK 388

$3.80 ₡1,703

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ISK 206

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.84 ISK 465

$1.13 ₡507

239.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ISK 215

$2.66 ₡1,191

-33.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,695

$5.18 ₡2,321

169.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 ISK 2,012

$19.88 ₡8,916

-16.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 ISK 438

$2.90 ₡1,300

24.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ISK 356

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.68 ISK 446

$1.12 ₡504

228.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.6 ISK 9,407

$72.6 ₡32.6K

6.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 804

$2.14 ₡958

209.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 ISK 312

$1.57 ₡703

64.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.2 ISK 9,727

$8.52 ₡3,823

841.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.52 ₡682

38.16%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$50.1K ISK 6.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

132.05%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$54.7K ISK 6.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

58.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$94.8 ISK 11.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-1.55%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$33.29 ISK 4,038

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-7.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

58.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.5 ISK 9,526

$71.6 ₡32.1K

9.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$19.48 ISK 2,363

$7.89 ₡3,539

146.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$407 ISK 49.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

-17.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

116.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$152 ISK 18.4K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

181.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ISK 7,934

$55.4 ₡24.8K

18.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$182 ISK 22.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

133.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 ISK 23.1K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

139.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 ISK 230.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

140.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ISK 161.2K

$794 ₡356.2K

67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 ISK 305.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-36.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,061 ISK 250.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

45.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,752 ISK 455.0K

$864 ₡387.3K

334.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

8.62

2.20%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Keflavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Keflavik

$1.3K 44.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.2% $535

Groceries & Markets

Keflavik

$566 18.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 37.7% $213

Eating Out

Keflavik

$390 13%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 45.7% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Keflavik

$265 8.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 54.7% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keflavik

$213 7.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Keflavik

$118 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.6% $30

Getting Around

Keflavik

$112 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 22.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,896 in Keflavik and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keflavik pays 334% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $124 in Keflavik vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $566 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

18:17 6:17 PM

6 h behind Keflavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Keflavik Nosara 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Keflavik
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Keflavik vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Keflavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 334% higher in Keflavik, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,896 in Keflavik versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 7% less than in Keflavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $407 in Keflavik versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,992 in Keflavik, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Keflavik. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Keflavik and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Keflavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.