Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucca and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,017 in Lucca, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Lucca
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Lucca Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lucca

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,017

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,017 per month in Lucca vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lucca $2,017
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,004 per month in Lucca vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lucca $3,004
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,990 per month in Lucca vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lucca $3,990
Nosara $3,818

Lucca costs about 10% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lucca and Nosara sit above the global median – Lucca by 49%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 €17.59

$12.35 ₡5,539

60.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 €71.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

31.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 €10.53

$7.52 ₡3,373

57.45%

Cappuccino

$2.02 €1.79

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.20%

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

$3.30 €2.93

$1.74 ₡780

89.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.31 ₡587

9.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 €5.99

$3.28 ₡1,471

105.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 €4.52

$4.47 ₡2,004

13.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.56 ₡701

5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.02 ₡1,355

-19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.51 ₡1,125

19.12%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.56

$3.57 ₡1,603

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.76 €18.46

$7.43 ₡3,333

179.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 €12.83

$10.52 ₡4,717

37.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.07 €18.74

$13.97 ₡6,265

50.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.35 ₡1,052

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.61 ₡720

32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$4.80 ₡2,152

-47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.84

$1.61 ₡724

98.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.69 ₡1,657

-42.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.13 ₡507

61.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.50

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.05 €6.28

$5.18 ₡2,321

36.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.63 ₡1,626

-22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.12 ₡504

74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.12 €30.35

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €4.03

$2.14 ₡958

111.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.57 ₡703

3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.76 €24.69

$8.52 ₡3,823

225.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.52 ₡682

38.82%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

68.76%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

0.51%

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

$336 €299

$96.3 ₡43.2K

248.93%

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

$11.93 €10.62

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-66.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.27 €28.70

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-39.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.8 €58.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-8.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.0 €44.47

$34.91 ₡15.7K

43.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 €8.77

$7.89 ₡3,539

24.97%

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

$645 €574

$494 ₡221.6K

30.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-5.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €89.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

86.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 €42.52

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-13.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 €80.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 €146

$79.6 ₡35.7K

106.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 €708

$788 ₡353.4K

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €589

$794 ₡356.2K

-16.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,273

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-63.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €900

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-28.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 €3,549

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-42.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,088 €1,857

$1,224 ₡549.0K

70.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,765 €1,570

$864 ₡387.3K

104.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

8.62

-57.08%

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

Last update for Lucca: 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

Lucca

$663 32.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 19.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lucca

$380 18.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 51.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

Lucca

$372 18.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5.3% $20

Eating Out

Lucca

$281 13.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 24.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Lucca

$182 9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 33.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lucca

$86 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Lucca

$55 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 59.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Lucca 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.

Salaries run about 104% higher in Lucca, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Lucca versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Lucca

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

8 h behind Lucca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,046

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

Lucca Nosara 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lucca
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

Lucca vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lucca is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,026 per month in Lucca 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 $2,017 in Lucca and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 113% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Lucca at $2,017. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lucca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Lucca makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.