Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kretinga and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kretinga: $1,306 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kretinga
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Kretinga Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kretinga

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,306

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,306 in Kretinga versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Kretinga $1,306
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,945 in Kretinga versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Kretinga $1,945
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,584 in Kretinga versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Kretinga $2,584
Nosara $3,814

Living in Kretinga costs roughly 29% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kretinga is 4% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.47 €11.09

$12.34 ₡5,535

1.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 €45.11

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-17.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 €5.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

-13.79%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$4.44 ₡1,992

-27.93%

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

$2.25 €2.00

$1.79 ₡803

25.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.29 ₡580

47.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 €4.93

$3.24 ₡1,451

70.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 €4.45

$4.43 ₡1,985

12.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.55 ₡696

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.08 ₡1,380

-52.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.53 ₡1,133

-28.06%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$3.45 ₡1,546

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 €8.88

$7.32 ₡3,284

36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 €5.14

$10.24 ₡4,594

-43.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 €8.43

$14.10 ₡6,326

-32.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.29 ₡1,027

-26.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.64 ₡737

-12.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$4.79 ₡2,149

-65.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.64 ₡735

81.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 €0.64

$3.85 ₡1,727

-81.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 €0.75

$3.75 ₡1,681

-77.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.09 ₡488

33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$2.59 ₡1,160

-67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 €5.30

$5.12 ₡2,295

16.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 €7.42

$19.92 ₡8,931

-58.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.80 ₡1,255

-42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.52 ₡1,580

-52.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.22 ₡549

-19.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.77 €26.48

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-59.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.17 ₡973

40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.56 ₡698

-48.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 €12.05

$8.67 ₡3,886

56.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.55 ₡697

21.94%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.40%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-29.55%

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

$203 €181

$94.8 ₡42.5K

114.28%

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

$13.65 €12.14

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-62.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.10 €12.55

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-73.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.31 €34.08

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-48.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.19 €20.62

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-34.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.91

$7.91 ₡3,548

12.52%

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

$476 €423

$490 ₡219.9K

-2.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,312 €8,283

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-21.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 €85.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

74.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.89 €37.26

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-25.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 €71.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$77.9 ₡34.9K

68.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 €518

$801 ₡359.1K

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €346

$790 ₡354.1K

-50.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 €692

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-80.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €524

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-58.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,787 €2,479

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,995 €1,774

$1,236 ₡554.3K

61.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,407 €1,251

$887 ₡397.6K

58.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.99

8.62

-53.71%

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

Last update for Kretinga: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kretinga

$389 29.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 103% $400

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kretinga

$231 17.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 20.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Kretinga

$220 16.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 59.2% $130

Eating Out

Kretinga

$213 16.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kretinga

$157 12%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 23% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Kretinga

$56 4.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 59.7% $34

Getting Around

Kretinga

$41 3.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 118% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $583 in Kretinga and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kretinga pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Kretinga vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $350 per month, with Kretinga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kretinga

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

8 h behind Kretinga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,010

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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 25, 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

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Between locations

Kretinga Nosara 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kretinga
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

Kretinga vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kretinga is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Kretinga, 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: $583 in Kretinga versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kretinga runs roughly 148% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Kretinga versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,306 in Kretinga versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kretinga but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kretinga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Kretinga 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 Kretinga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.