Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilkenny and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,358 in Kilkenny, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kilkenny outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Kilkenny
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Kilkenny Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,358

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,358 in Kilkenny versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Kilkenny $2,358
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Kilkenny versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Kilkenny $3,276
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,194 in Kilkenny versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Kilkenny $4,194
Nosara $3,818

Living in Kilkenny is roughly 28% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kilkenny 75% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$12.35 ₡5,539

33.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €59.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

10.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 €8.79

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.38%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$4.41 ₡1,978

-4.08%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$1.74 ₡780

67.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.31 ₡587

61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 €5.60

$3.28 ₡1,471

91.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.30 €5.60

$4.47 ₡2,004

40.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.56 ₡701

-17.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.02 ₡1,355

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.05%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.76

$3.57 ₡1,603

18.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 €9.14

$7.43 ₡3,333

38.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 €4.86

$10.52 ₡4,717

-48.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 €6.01

$13.97 ₡6,265

-51.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.35 ₡1,052

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.61 ₡720

32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$4.80 ₡2,152

-37.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.61 ₡724

76.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.69 ₡1,657

-70.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.13 ₡507

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

-28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.80 €17.61

$5.18 ₡2,321

282.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 €12.48

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.52

$2.90 ₡1,300

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.05

$3.63 ₡1,626

25.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.12 ₡504

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$2.14 ₡958

137.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.57 ₡703

-5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.7 €50.4

$8.52 ₡3,823

564.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.52 ₡682

30.26%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

76.93%

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

$37.5K €33.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

8.75%

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

$177 €157

$96.3 ₡43.2K

83.64%

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

$20.87 €18.56

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-41.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 €44.67

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 €61.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-2.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 €19.60

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-36.89%

Cinema Ticket

$16.42 €14.61

$7.89 ₡3,539

108.11%

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

$896 €797

$494 ₡221.6K

81.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 €88.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

84.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.46 €32.43

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-34.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 €85.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 €1,325

$788 ₡353.4K

89.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,136

$794 ₡356.2K

60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,593 €2,306

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 €1,602

$1,419 ₡636.5K

26.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,102 €7,206

$6,912 ₡3.1M

17.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,248 €1,999

$1,224 ₡549.0K

83.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,796 €2,487

$864 ₡387.3K

223.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

8.62

-57.31%

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

Last update for Kilkenny: 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

Kilkenny

$1.3K 54.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 37.8% $482

Groceries & Markets

Kilkenny

$277 11.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.1% $75

Eating Out

Kilkenny

$276 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilkenny

$248 10.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 25.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Kilkenny

$154 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Kilkenny

$102 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.7% $15

Getting Around

Kilkenny

$24 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 267% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,490 in Kilkenny and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kilkenny pays 224% 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: $67.0 in Kilkenny vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $352, with Kilkenny cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Kilkenny

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

7 h behind Kilkenny

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kilkenny Nosara 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilkenny
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

Kilkenny vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 224% higher in Kilkenny, 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: $1,490 in Kilkenny versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $896 in Kilkenny versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $67.0 in Kilkenny. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,358 in Kilkenny, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Kilkenny. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kilkenny, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kilkenny 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 28% less than in Kilkenny. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.