Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,311 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,311 in Madrid versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Madrid $2,311
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,324 in Madrid versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Madrid $3,324
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,337 in Madrid versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Madrid $4,337
Nosara $3,712

Living in Madrid is roughly 26% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 72% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 €16.14

$12.22 ₡5,509

48.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$60.2 ₡27.1K

12.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.95

$7.54 ₡3,399

48.01%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.31 ₡1,941

-28.07%

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

$3.25 €2.90

$1.72 ₡773

88.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.35 ₡608

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$3.24 ₡1,459

19.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.44

$4.48 ₡2,018

11.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 ₡707

-8.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$3.17 ₡1,429

-49.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.42 ₡1,091

-30.58%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.78

$3.57 ₡1,609

18.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$7.43 ₡3,349

129.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.10

$10.42 ₡4,697

-12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 €15.70

$13.66 ₡6,156

28.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.32 ₡1,044

8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.61 ₡728

35.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$4.74 ₡2,138

-45.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.66 ₡747

52.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.72 ₡1,679

-40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.57 ₡1,611

-38.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.10 ₡497

42.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.55 ₡1,149

-58.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$4.95 ₡2,232

34.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.79 ₡1,256

-58.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.53 ₡1,589

-35.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.19 ₡537

43.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.14 €33.11

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-48.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.24 ₡1,011

66.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.55 ₡701

-3.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.16 €26.89

$8.86 ₡3,993

240.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.57 ₡708

17.20%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

59.77%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-3.70%

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

$185 €165

$93.5 ₡42.1K

98.38%

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

$18.51 €16.50

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-47.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 €31.01

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-32.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 €44.57

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-29.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 €16.14

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-48.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.24 €10.03

$7.84 ₡3,535

43.37%

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

$666 €594

$490 ₡220.7K

36.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

52.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

59.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.88

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.8

$79.3 ₡35.7K

37.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.6

$78.9 ₡35.6K

41.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,359

$786 ₡354.3K

93.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,063

$780 ₡351.6K

52.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 €2,414

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-29.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 €1,604

$1,407 ₡634.4K

27.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,164 €8,171

$6,972 ₡3.1M

31.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,717

$1,201 ₡541.3K

247.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 €2,209

$876 ₡395.0K

182.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

8.62

-64.27%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 34.6% $413

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 13.6% $42

Eating Out

Madrid

$267 11.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 21.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$239 10.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 24.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 23.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.1% $15

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 57.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,524 in Madrid and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 183% 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: $68.0 in Madrid vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $350, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

19:53 7:53 PM

8 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Nosara 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
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

Madrid vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 183% higher in Madrid, 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: $1,524 in Madrid versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 14% 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 $60.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,311 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid 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 26% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.