Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kos: $1,498 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
Learn more

Kos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,498

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,498 in Kos versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Kos $1,498
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,242 in Kos versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Kos $2,242
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,985 in Kos versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Kos $2,985
Nosara $3,818

Living in Kos costs roughly 19% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kos 11% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 €12.23

$12.35 ₡5,539

11.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$7.52 ₡3,373

48.94%

Cappuccino

$3.94 €3.50

$4.41 ₡1,978

-10.66%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$1.74 ₡780

74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.31 ₡587

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$4.47 ₡2,004

53.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.56 ₡701

50.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.51 ₡1,125

3.59%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.21

$3.57 ₡1,603

32.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 €12.04

$7.43 ₡3,333

82.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 €8.89

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 €12.54

$13.97 ₡6,265

0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.35 ₡1,052

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.61 ₡720

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$4.80 ₡2,152

-71.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.61 ₡724

22.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-69.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.13 ₡507

-6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 €4.58

$5.18 ₡2,321

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.90 ₡1,300

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.32

$3.63 ₡1,626

-28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.12 ₡504

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.70 €39.76

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-38.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 €3.79

$2.14 ₡958

99.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.57 ₡703

-27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.09 €14.31

$8.52 ₡3,823

88.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.52 ₡682

37.50%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.92%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.04%

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

$202 €180

$96.3 ₡43.2K

110.22%

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

$22.74 €20.23

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-36.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €30.89

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-35.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 €45.89

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-27.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.44 €25.29

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-18.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.07

$7.89 ₡3,539

14.96%

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

$430 €382

$494 ₡221.6K

-13.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,795 €6,934

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-34.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

63.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.00 €35.58

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-27.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 €78.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

13.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$79.6 ₡35.7K

48.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 €548

$788 ₡353.4K

-21.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 €376

$794 ₡356.2K

-46.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 €656

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 €511

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-59.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,685 €2,388

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-61.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,416 €2,149

$1,224 ₡549.0K

97.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$893 €794

$864 ₡387.3K

3.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

8.62

-48.26%

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

Last update for Kos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kos

$422 28.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 88.1% $372

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$290 19.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 21.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$260 17.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.5% $74

Eating Out

Kos

$244 16.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 13.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$151 10.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$70 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.3% $18

Getting Around

Kos

$62 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 41.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Kos and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kos pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Kos vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $352, with Kos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

9 h behind Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Kos Nosara 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kos
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

Kos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kos wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Kos, 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: $616 in Kos versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kos – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,498 per month in Kos versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,498 in Kos versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,498 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kos 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 Kos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.