Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,049 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lagos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lagos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,049

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,049 in Lagos versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Lagos $2,049
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,107 in Lagos versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Lagos $3,107
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,164 in Lagos versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Lagos $4,164
Nosara $3,818

Living in Lagos is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lagos 52% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 €11.06

$12.35 ₡5,539

0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.08

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-9.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 €7.09

$7.52 ₡3,373

5.98%

Cappuccino

$2.70 €2.40

$4.41 ₡1,978

-38.78%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.74 ₡780

35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.31 ₡587

31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 €3.53

$3.28 ₡1,471

21.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 €3.86

$4.47 ₡2,004

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.56 ₡701

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$3.02 ₡1,355

-21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.51 ₡1,125

-15.14%

Eggs

$3.45 €3.07

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.45 €15.52

$7.43 ₡3,333

134.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.14 €7.24

$10.52 ₡4,717

-22.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 €13.25

$13.97 ₡6,265

6.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.35 ₡1,052

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.61 ₡720

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.61 ₡724

59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 €0.33

$2.66 ₡1,191

-86.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 €5.23

$5.18 ₡2,321

13.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$19.88 ₡8,916

-77.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.76

$2.90 ₡1,300

-70.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.63 ₡1,626

-24.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.12 ₡504

45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.11

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.03

$2.14 ₡958

164.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.57 ₡703

-37.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.52 ₡682

26.97%

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

$33.5K €29.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

54.89%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

4.62%

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

$146 €130

$96.3 ₡43.2K

52.13%

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

$21.27 €18.92

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-40.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.77 €38.04

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-20.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.94

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-24.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.68

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-20.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 €5.64

$7.89 ₡3,539

-19.65%

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

$538 €479

$494 ₡221.6K

8.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-4.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 €71.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

49.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.54 €44.06

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 €62.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-9.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,010

$788 ₡353.4K

44.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$794 ₡356.2K

39.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 €2,147

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,020 €1,797

$1,419 ₡636.5K

42.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,987 €3,546

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-42.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,758 €4,232

$1,224 ₡549.0K

288.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,206 €1,073

$864 ₡387.3K

39.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lagos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$1.1K 53.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 28.1% $311

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$275 13.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 28.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$211 10.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.8% $25

Eating Out

Lagos

$201 9.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$141 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$67 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 31.2% $21

Getting Around

Lagos

$51 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 71% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,135 in Lagos and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays 40% 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: $55.0 in Lagos vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $352 per month, with Lagos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lagos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

19:37 7:37 PM

7 h behind Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,500

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Lagos Nosara 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lagos
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

Lagos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lagos and Nosara differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,049 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Lagos, 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: $1,135 in Lagos versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lagos pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $55.0 in Lagos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,049 in Lagos, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lagos. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lagos 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 11% less than in Lagos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.