Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,870 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,870

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,870 per month in Marsa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Marsa $2,870
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,982 per month in Marsa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Marsa $3,982
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,094 per month in Marsa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Marsa $5,094
Nosara $3,818

Marsa costs about 56% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Marsa and Nosara sit above the global median – Marsa by 113%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$12.35 ₡5,539

60.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 €76.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

40.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

77.39%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.39

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.00%

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

$2.17 €1.93

$1.74 ₡780

24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ₡587

67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.96

$3.28 ₡1,471

35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$4.47 ₡2,004

-43.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$2.51 ₡1,125

67.73%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$3.57 ₡1,603

20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 €7.24

$7.43 ₡3,333

9.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 €9.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

30.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 €3.80

$2.35 ₡1,052

82.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.61 ₡720

76.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$4.80 ₡2,152

-24.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.61 ₡724

111.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.80 ₡1,703

-36.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.13 ₡507

111.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.66 ₡1,191

-51.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.91 €6.15

$5.18 ₡2,321

33.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €7.08

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$3.63 ₡1,626

-32.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.89

$2.14 ₡958

157.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.57 ₡703

46.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 €23.87

$8.52 ₡3,823

215.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.52 ₡682

1.32%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

77.94%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.00%

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

$103 €91.3

$96.3 ₡43.2K

6.63%

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

$25.31 €22.51

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-29.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.13 €38.36

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.84

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.98%

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

$368 €327

$494 ₡221.6K

-25.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,954

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-5.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

63.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.78 €36.27

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €87.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €70.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-1.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,428 €2,160

$788 ₡353.4K

208.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,707

$794 ₡356.2K

141.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 €1,999

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-42.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,757 €2,453

$1,419 ₡636.5K

94.28%

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)

$3,222 €2,866

$864 ₡387.3K

273.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

8.62

-66.36%

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

Last update for Marsa: 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

Marsa

$1.9K 66.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 58.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Marsa

$329 11.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7% $23

Eating Out

Marsa

$275 9.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsa

$171 6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 8.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Marsa

$137 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Marsa

$20 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 340% $67

Getting Around

Marsa

$17 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 413% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,428 in Marsa 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 273% higher in Marsa, 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 $86.0 in Marsa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $329 in Marsa vs $352 in Nosara – so Marsa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

8 h behind Marsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marsa Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Marsa
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

Marsa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsa is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,304 per month in Marsa 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,870 in Marsa and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $368 per month in Marsa and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Marsa at $2,870. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marsa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.