Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsascala and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsascala: $1,737 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Marsascala
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Marsascala Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Marsascala

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,737

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,737 per month in Marsascala vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Marsascala $1,737
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,651 per month in Marsascala vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Marsascala $2,651
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,564 per month in Marsascala vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Marsascala $3,564
Nosara $3,818

Marsascala is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Marsascala and Nosara sit above the global median – Marsascala by 29%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.22 €17.10

$12.35 ₡5,539

55.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 €77.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

42.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.10

$7.52 ₡3,373

80.85%

Cappuccino

$2.29 €2.04

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.07%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$1.74 ₡780

40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.31 ₡587

0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.28 ₡1,471

20.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$4.47 ₡2,004

-23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.56 ₡701

-21.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 €0.72

$3.02 ₡1,355

-73.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.51 ₡1,125

29.88%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.86

$3.57 ₡1,603

21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 €4.84

$7.43 ₡3,333

-26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.26 €5.57

$10.52 ₡4,717

-40.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 €12.25

$13.97 ₡6,265

-1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.35 ₡1,052

38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.61 ₡720

52.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.61 ₡724

83.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.80 ₡1,703

-33.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.13 ₡507

99.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.56

$5.18 ₡2,321

20.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 €6.09

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.90 ₡1,300

-43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$3.63 ₡1,626

-35.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.12 ₡504

92.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.59

$2.14 ₡958

141.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.57 ₡703

43.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.63 €12.12

$8.52 ₡3,823

59.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.52 ₡682

-3.95%

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

$31.0K €27.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

43.27%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.01%

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

$100 €89.0

$96.3 ₡43.2K

3.89%

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

$20.94 €18.63

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-41.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.06 €24.96

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 €49.48

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-22.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.26 €19.80

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-36.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$7.89 ₡3,539

29.28%

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

$223 €198

$494 ₡221.6K

-54.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,441 €3,950

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

59.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.06 €26.74

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 €76.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

10.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 €71.7

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 €896

$788 ₡353.4K

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 €751

$794 ₡356.2K

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,364

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-61.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 €1,169

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-7.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,842 €2,528

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-58.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 €2,049

$1,224 ₡549.0K

88.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,115 €1,881

$864 ₡387.3K

144.93%

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 Marsascala: 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

Marsascala

$844 48.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 5.9% $49

Eating Out

Marsascala

$264 15.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Marsascala

$253 14.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 39.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsascala

$149 8.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 24.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Marsascala

$127 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 5.7% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Marsascala

$76 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.9% $11

Getting Around

Marsascala

$25 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 248% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,007 in Marsascala 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 145% higher in Marsascala, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Marsascala versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Marsascala vs $352 in Nosara – so Marsascala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsascala

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

10:39 10:39 AM

8 h behind Marsascala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,134

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Marsascala Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Marsascala
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

Marsascala vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,606 per month in Marsascala 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 Marsascala, 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 $87.0 in Marsascala and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Marsascala, where all-in costs run around $1,737, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Marsascala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marsascala – 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 Marsascala. 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.