Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madaba and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $765 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Madaba
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Madaba Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Madaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$765

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $765 per month in Madaba vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Madaba $765
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,349 per month in Madaba vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Madaba $1,349
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,932 per month in Madaba vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Madaba $1,932
Nosara $3,818

Madaba is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madaba sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 JOD 3.92

$12.35 ₡5,539

-55.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.14 JOD 34.79

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-19.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.44 JOD 4.56

$7.52 ₡3,373

-14.36%

Cappuccino

$3.56 JOD 2.52

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.27%

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

$0.61 JOD 0.43

$1.74 ₡780

-64.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 JOD 0.43

$1.31 ₡587

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.36 JOD 3.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

32.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 JOD 4.85

$4.47 ₡2,004

53.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 JOD 0.99

$1.56 ₡701

-10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 JOD 0.47

$3.02 ₡1,355

-78.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JOD 1.11

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.45%

Eggs

$1.72 JOD 1.22

$3.57 ₡1,603

-51.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 JOD 3.06

$7.43 ₡3,333

-41.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 JOD 3.94

$10.52 ₡4,717

-47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 JOD 9.02

$13.97 ₡6,265

-8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 JOD 1.88

$2.35 ₡1,052

13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.61 ₡720

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 JOD 1.26

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 JOD 0.52

$1.61 ₡724

-54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 JOD 0.51

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$3.69 ₡1,657

-81.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 JOD 0.24

$1.13 ₡507

-69.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 JOD 0.39

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 JOD 1.51

$5.18 ₡2,321

-58.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.90 JOD 14.80

$19.88 ₡8,916

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.86 JOD 3.44

$2.90 ₡1,300

67.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 JOD 3.56

$3.63 ₡1,626

38.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 JOD 0.62

$1.12 ₡504

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.6 JOD 50.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-1.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 JOD 0.41

$2.14 ₡958

-72.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 JOD 0.98

$1.57 ₡703

-11.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 JOD 5.07

$8.52 ₡3,823

-15.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 JOD 1.02

$1.52 ₡682

-5.92%

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

$35.4K JOD 25.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.00%

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

$34.9K JOD 24.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

1.11%

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

$69.2 JOD 49.02

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-28.09%

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

$13.83 JOD 9.79

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-61.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.89 JOD 14.79

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-61.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.60 JOD 20.25

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-60.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$69.2 JOD 49.02

$34.91 ₡15.7K

98.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 JOD 7.97

$7.89 ₡3,539

42.59%

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

$41.99 JOD 29.73

$494 ₡221.6K

-91.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,676 JOD 6,851

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-18.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 JOD 44.72

$53.9 ₡24.2K

17.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 JOD 40.32

$55.4 ₡24.8K

2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 JOD 49.48

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-10.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.11 JOD 30.52

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-45.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 JOD 149

$788 ₡353.4K

-73.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$42.56 JOD 30.13

$794 ₡356.2K

-94.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 JOD 297

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 JOD 149

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-85.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$495 JOD 351

$864 ₡387.3K

-42.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.62

-21.00%

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

Last update for Madaba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madaba

$233 30.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 51.2% $119

Eating Out

Madaba

$147 19.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 44.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Madaba

$105 13.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madaba

$104 13.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 78.7% $82

Getting Around

Madaba

$83 10.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 5.4% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Madaba

$51 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.9% $36

Accommodation & Living

Madaba

$43 5.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1766% $752

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $210 in Madaba 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 74% higher in Nosara, 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 $49.00 in Madaba versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $352 – making Madaba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Madaba

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

20:23 8:23 PM

9 h behind Madaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 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).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madaba Nosara 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Madaba
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

Madaba vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 140% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,147 per month in Madaba 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 Madaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Madaba and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $765 in Madaba and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 140%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Madaba, where all-in costs run around $765, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Madaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Madaba costs $765 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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