Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lushnje and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lushnje: $1,195 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lushnje
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,195
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,195 in Lushnje versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Lushnje $1,195
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Lushnje versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Lushnje $1,844
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,493 in Lushnje versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Lushnje $2,493
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Lushnje costs roughly 35% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lushnje is 11% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.05 ALL 809
$12.35 ₡5,539
-18.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.4 ALL 4,383
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-11.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.90 ALL 878
$7.52 ₡3,373
44.95%
Cappuccino
$2.23 ALL 180
$4.41 ₡1,978
-49.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ALL 193
$1.74 ₡780
37.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 ALL 99.4
$1.31 ₡587
-6.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.51 ALL 283
$3.28 ₡1,471
7.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 ALL 328
$4.47 ₡2,004
-8.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 ALL 177
$1.56 ₡701
41.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 ALL 91.3
$3.02 ₡1,355
-62.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 ALL 189
$2.51 ₡1,125
-6.77%
Eggs
$3.80 ALL 306
$3.57 ₡1,603
6.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ALL 1,009
$7.43 ₡3,333
68.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.00 ALL 725
$10.52 ₡4,717
-14.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.76 ALL 1,350
$13.97 ₡6,265
19.97%
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 ALL 156
$2.35 ₡1,052
-17.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 ALL 195
$1.61 ₡720
50.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.21 ALL 178
$4.80 ₡2,152
-53.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 ALL 151
$1.61 ₡724
16.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 ALL 81.8
$3.80 ₡1,703
-73.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 ALL 104
$3.69 ₡1,657
-65.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 ALL 115
$1.13 ₡507
26.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ALL 62.3
$2.66 ₡1,191
-71.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.74 ALL 382
$5.18 ₡2,321
-8.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.50 ALL 846
$19.88 ₡8,916
-47.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 ALL 125
$2.90 ₡1,300
-46.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 ALL 169
$3.63 ₡1,626
-42.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 ALL 40.97
$1.12 ₡504
-54.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.48 ALL 1,408
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-75.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.63 ALL 292
$2.14 ₡958
69.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.69 ALL 297
$1.57 ₡703
135.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.04 ALL 1,452
$8.52 ₡3,823
111.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.31 ALL 186
$1.52 ₡682
51.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K ALL 2.7M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
56.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.5K ALL 2.9M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
2.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.5 ALL 7,929
$96.3 ₡43.2K
2.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.19 ALL 1,465
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-49.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.49 ALL 1,570
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-63.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.0 ALL 4,674
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-18.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.02 ALL 807
$7.89 ₡3,539
27.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$347 ALL 27.9K
$494 ₡221.6K
-29.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,195 ALL 659.9K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-30.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.07 ALL 3,952
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-9.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.39 ALL 3,817
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-14.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ALL 9,341
$77.9 ₡34.9K
48.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 ALL 9,065
$79.6 ₡35.7K
41.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$475 ALL 38.2K
$788 ₡353.4K
-39.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$326 ALL 26.3K
$794 ₡356.2K
-58.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$706 ALL 56.9K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-82.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$473 ALL 38.1K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-66.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,643 ALL 132.3K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-76.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,053 ALL 84.8K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-13.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lushnje
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$611 ALL 49.2K
$864 ₡387.3K
-29.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
8.62
-37.47%

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

Last update for Lushnje: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lushnje
$326
Nosara
$794 143% $468
Groceries & Markets
Lushnje
$287
Nosara
$352 22.8% $65
Eating Out
Lushnje
$180
Nosara
$212 17.6% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Lushnje
$146
Nosara
$120 17.9% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lushnje
$136
Nosara
$186 36.4% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Lushnje
$78
Nosara
$87 11.9% $9.3
Getting Around
Lushnje
$42
Nosara
$87 110% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $475 in Lushnje and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 41% 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: $54.0 in Lushnje vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $352 per month, with Lushnje cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇱 Lushnje
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
18:50 6:50 PM
10:50 10:50 AM
8 h behind Lushnje
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
31,105
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lushnje Nosara 10,540 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lushnje
  • 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
Lushnje vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lushnje or Nosara?
Lushnje wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lushnje the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lushnje or in Nosara?
On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lushnje compared to Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $475 in Lushnje versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Lushnje and in Nosara?
Dining out is cheaper in Lushnje – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Lushnje compared to Nosara?
All in, you'll spend $1,195 per month in Lushnje versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lushnje or in Nosara?
At $1,195 in Lushnje versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lushnje but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Lushnje the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lushnje or Nosara?
Both work as nomad bases, but Lushnje delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,195 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lushnje hard to pass up.
How safe is Lushnje compared to Nosara?
Safety-wise, Lushnje 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Lushnje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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