Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,972 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,972 per month in Lija vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lija $1,972
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,209 per month in Lija vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lija $3,209
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,446 per month in Lija vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lija $4,446
Nosara $3,818

Lija costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lija and Nosara sit above the global median – Lija by 46%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

48.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 €11.69

$7.52 ₡3,373

74.73%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.79

$4.41 ₡1,978

-29.02%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$1.74 ₡780

39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.31 ₡587

50.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.28 ₡1,471

66.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.96

$4.47 ₡2,004

50.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.56 ₡701

-14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.02 ₡1,355

-53.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.51 ₡1,125

37.85%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.76

$3.57 ₡1,603

18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 €9.33

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$13.97 ₡6,265

30.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$2.35 ₡1,052

64.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.61 ₡720

70.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 €3.40

$4.80 ₡2,152

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$1.61 ₡724

129.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.69 ₡1,657

-7.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.13 ₡507

93.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.66 ₡1,191

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.66

$5.18 ₡2,321

22.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 €5.44

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.90 ₡1,300

-18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.63 ₡1,626

-37.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.12 ₡504

111.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$2.14 ₡958

84.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.57 ₡703

13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 €28.50

$8.52 ₡3,823

276.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.52 ₡682

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

28.73%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

13.28%

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

$156 €138

$96.3 ₡43.2K

61.61%

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

$31.66 €28.16

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-11.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 €25.74

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-46.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.98%

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

$279 €248

$494 ₡221.6K

-43.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

3.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 €51.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

7.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 €60.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

22.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

63.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$788 ₡353.4K

40.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €728

$794 ₡356.2K

3.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 €1,595

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-54.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,505

$1,419 ₡636.5K

19.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 €3,657

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-40.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,697 €2,399

$1,224 ₡549.0K

120.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

8.62

-53.02%

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

Last update for Lija: 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

Lija

$819 41.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 3% $24

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$343 17.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.7% $9.2

Eating Out

Lija

$313 15.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$216 11%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$93 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.2% $5.8

Getting Around

Lija

$22 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 291% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,106 in Lija versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Lija versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Lija vs $352 in Nosara – so Lija wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

8 h behind Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

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

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Between locations

Lija Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lija
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

Lija vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,972 in Lija, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,958 per month in Lija and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,972 in Lija and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Lija and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Lija at $1,972. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lija it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $1,972 in Lija. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lija makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.