Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makarska and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Makarska: $1,586 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Makarska
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Makarska Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Makarska

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,586

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Makarska versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Makarska $1,586
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,463 in Makarska versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Makarska $2,463
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,339 in Makarska versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Makarska $3,339
Nosara $3,818

Living in Makarska costs roughly 14% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Makarska 17% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.45 €15.52

$12.35 ₡5,539

41.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 €70.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

29.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.89 €7.02

$7.52 ₡3,373

4.92%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.97

$4.41 ₡1,978

-24.26%

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

$4.00 €3.56

$1.74 ₡780

129.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.31 ₡587

133.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.28 ₡1,471

71.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.02 ₡1,355

-43.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.51 ₡1,125

22.31%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.35

$3.57 ₡1,603

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.33 €13.63

$7.43 ₡3,333

106.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.45

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 €10.43

$13.97 ₡6,265

-16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.35 ₡1,052

-16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.61 ₡720

-6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.80 ₡2,152

-56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.61 ₡724

65.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$3.80 ₡1,703

-41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.13 ₡507

35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.66 ₡1,191

-38.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.55 €4.94

$5.18 ₡2,321

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 €6.80

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$3.63 ₡1,626

-58.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.12 ₡504

36.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.51 €35.14

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-45.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.14 ₡958

44.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 ₡703

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.02 €10.69

$8.52 ₡3,823

41.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.52 ₡682

9.87%

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

$25.9K €23.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

19.94%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.77%

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

$177 €158

$96.3 ₡43.2K

84.25%

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

$27.30 €24.28

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-23.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.91 €38.17

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-19.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.14 €41.04

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.43 €14.61

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-52.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 €7.99

$7.89 ₡3,539

13.81%

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

$413 €368

$494 ₡221.6K

-16.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,923 €6,158

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-41.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

62.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 €40.09

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

34.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 €70.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-0.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 €616

$788 ₡353.4K

-12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 €459

$794 ₡356.2K

-35.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-69.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 €780

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-38.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,594 €3,197

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-48.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,232 €2,875

$1,224 ₡549.0K

164.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

8.62

-56.84%

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

Last update for Makarska: 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

Makarska

$516 32.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 53.9% $278

Groceries & Markets

Makarska

$291 18.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 21.1% $61

Eating Out

Makarska

$269 17%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makarska

$248 15.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 25% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Makarska

$143 9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Makarska

$64 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.3% $23

Getting Around

Makarska

$56 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 55.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $692 in Makarska and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Makarska vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $291 vs $352, with Makarska cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Makarska

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

8 h behind Makarska

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,809

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Makarska Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Makarska
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

Makarska vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makarska is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Makarska and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $692 in Makarska versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $413 in Makarska versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,586 in Makarska versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makarska but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Makarska the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Makarska is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Makarska 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 Makarska gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.