Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahabad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $522 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$522

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Mahabad vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mahabad $522
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $849 per month in Mahabad vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mahabad $849
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,177 per month in Mahabad vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mahabad $1,177
Nosara $3,818

Mahabad is about 72% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mahabad sits 61% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 $2.97

$12.35 ₡5,539

-75.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.06 $17.06

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.06 $4.06

$7.52 ₡3,373

-46.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 $0.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$4.41 ₡1,978

-74.38%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$1.74 ₡780

-70.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.31 ₡587

-28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.56 ₡701

-58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$3.02 ₡1,355

-83.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.51 ₡1,125

-17.53%

Eggs

$1.18 $1.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

-66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$7.43 ₡3,333

-42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$10.52 ₡4,717

-69.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$13.97 ₡6,265

-45.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.35 ₡1,052

-57.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.61 ₡720

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$4.80 ₡2,152

-82.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.61 ₡724

-62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$3.80 ₡1,703

-85.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$3.69 ₡1,657

-87.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$1.13 ₡507

-53.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$2.66 ₡1,191

-90.23%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 $0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 $2.14

$5.18 ₡2,321

-58.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$1.12 ₡504

-86.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.76 $8.76

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-87.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 $0.44

$2.14 ₡958

-79.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.57 ₡703

-81.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 $2.87

$8.52 ₡3,823

-66.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.52 ₡682

-93.42%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

120.88%

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

$47.6K $47.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

38.04%

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

$12.32 $12.32

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-87.21%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-95.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.76 $3.76

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-92.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.63 $18.63

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-73.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.75 $11.75

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-66.34%

Cinema Ticket

$1.97 $1.97

$7.89 ₡3,539

-75.03%

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

$106 $106

$494 ₡221.6K

-78.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,234 $2,234

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-81.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.20 $23.20

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.48 $28.48

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-48.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 $96.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

23.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 $71.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-10.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$788 ₡353.4K

-66.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 $211

$794 ₡356.2K

-73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 $408

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-71.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,131 $1,131

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$530 $530

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-56.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 $253

$864 ₡387.3K

-70.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

8.62

181.90%

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

Last update for Mahabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahabad

$211 40.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 276% $583

Groceries & Markets

Mahabad

$105 20.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 236% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Mahabad

$99 18.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.6% $21

Eating Out

Mahabad

$55 10.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 283% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Mahabad

$23 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 287% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahabad

$18 3.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 952% $168

Getting Around

Mahabad

$11 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 673% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Mahabad 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 242% 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 $17.00 in Mahabad versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $352 – making Mahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

9 h 30 min behind Mahabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,541

4,912

💱 Currency

USD USD

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahabad Nosara 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahabad
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mahabad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 252%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Mahabad 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 Mahabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $106 per month in Mahabad and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 236% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahabad, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mahabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahabad – 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 Mahabad. 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.