Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsaxlokk and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,977 in Marsaxlokk, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsaxlokk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Marsaxlokk
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Marsaxlokk Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Marsaxlokk

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,977

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,977 in Marsaxlokk versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Marsaxlokk $1,977
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,954 in Marsaxlokk versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Marsaxlokk $2,954
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,930 in Marsaxlokk versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Marsaxlokk $3,930
Nosara $3,818

Living in Marsaxlokk is roughly 8% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Marsaxlokk 46% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$12.35 ₡5,539

61.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

41.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.05

$7.52 ₡3,373

80.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.42

$4.41 ₡1,978

-38.32%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.74 ₡780

75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ₡587

67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 €3.96

$3.28 ₡1,471

35.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 €4.68

$4.47 ₡2,004

17.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 €3.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

69.72%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$3.57 ₡1,603

21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.98 €7.10

$7.43 ₡3,333

7.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 €9.38

$10.52 ₡4,717

0.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 €16.01

$13.97 ₡6,265

28.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.35 ₡1,052

72.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.61 ₡720

75.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$4.80 ₡2,152

-24.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.61 ₡724

113.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$3.80 ₡1,703

-36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.13 ₡507

101.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.66 ₡1,191

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.07

$5.18 ₡2,321

31.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.63 ₡1,626

-35.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.12 ₡504

86.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$2.14 ₡958

167.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.57 ₡703

42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.37 €23.46

$8.52 ₡3,823

209.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.52 ₡682

1.32%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.92%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

11.19%

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

$104 €92.6

$96.3 ₡43.2K

8.13%

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

$25.79 €22.94

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-28.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.59 €38.78

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-18.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 €61.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-3.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.97

$7.89 ₡3,539

27.88%

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

$368 €327

$494 ₡221.6K

-25.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,835

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

63.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.80 €36.29

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 €87.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 €69.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €940

$788 ₡353.4K

34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$938 €835

$794 ₡356.2K

18.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 €1,723

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 €1,257

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-0.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,795 €3,376

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-45.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 €2,204

$1,224 ₡549.0K

102.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Marsaxlokk: 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

Marsaxlokk

$938 47.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 15.4% $144

Groceries & Markets

Marsaxlokk

$327 16.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.8% $25

Eating Out

Marsaxlokk

$286 14.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 26% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsaxlokk

$174 8.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 7.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Marsaxlokk

$137 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Marsaxlokk

$90 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Marsaxlokk

$25 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 244% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Marsaxlokk and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $87.0 in Marsaxlokk vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $352, with Marsaxlokk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsaxlokk

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

10:40 10:40 AM

8 h behind Marsaxlokk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500

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

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Highest

Between locations

Marsaxlokk Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Marsaxlokk
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

Marsaxlokk vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Marsaxlokk. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,966 in Marsaxlokk 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: $1,056 in Marsaxlokk versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Marsaxlokk pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,977 per month in Marsaxlokk versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,977 in Marsaxlokk, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Marsaxlokk. 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 $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Marsaxlokk 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 8% less than in Marsaxlokk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.