Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $745 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$745

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $745 in Mashhad versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mashhad $745
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,114 in Mashhad versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mashhad $1,114
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,483 in Mashhad versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mashhad $1,483
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 59% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 45% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 IQD 6,301

$12.35 ₡5,539

-66.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.37 IQD 44.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-51.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$7.52 ₡3,373

-10.51%

Cappuccino

$2.67 IQD 4,034

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.46%

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

$0.33 IQD 492

$1.74 ₡780

-81.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$1.31 ₡587

-83.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 IQD 4,921

$3.28 ₡1,471

-0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 IQD 5,091

$4.47 ₡2,004

-24.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 IQD 1,346

$1.56 ₡701

-42.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,035

$3.02 ₡1,355

-77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 IQD 2,005

$2.51 ₡1,125

-47.01%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$3.57 ₡1,603

-77.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 IQD 5,071

$7.43 ₡3,333

-54.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.97 IQD 2,981

$10.52 ₡4,717

-81.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.09 IQD 4,668

$13.97 ₡6,265

-77.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,521

$2.35 ₡1,052

-57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 IQD 1,385

$1.61 ₡720

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,373

$4.80 ₡2,152

-81.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,026

$1.61 ₡724

-57.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 845

$3.80 ₡1,703

-85.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 900

$3.69 ₡1,657

-83.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 IQD 432

$1.13 ₡507

-74.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 322

$2.66 ₡1,191

-92.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.83 IQD 1,254

$5.18 ₡2,321

-83.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 IQD 17.9K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 IQD 2,989

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$3.63 ₡1,626

-46.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 IQD 690

$1.12 ₡504

-58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.64 IQD 32.7K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-70.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 IQD 3,031

$2.14 ₡958

-6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 IQD 1,965

$1.57 ₡703

-17.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 IQD 9,659

$8.52 ₡3,823

-25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 IQD 805

$1.52 ₡682

-65.13%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-22.28%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-51.56%

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

$192 IQD 289.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

99.07%

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

$17.37 IQD 26.2K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.33 IQD 54.9K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-32.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.10 IQD 51.5K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-52.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

27.00%

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

$147 IQD 221.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-70.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,968 IQD 4.5M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-74.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.05 IQD 37.9K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-53.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.34 IQD 42.8K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-48.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 IQD 90.8K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.28 IQD 62.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-48.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$150 IQD 226.4K

$788 ₡353.4K

-80.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 IQD 178.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-85.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 IQD 606.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 IQD 432.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-79.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$717 IQD 1.1M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-89.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$639 IQD 965.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-47.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

8.62

-52.20%

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$245 32.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 24.3% $60

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$118 15.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 572% $676

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 206% $237

Eating Out

Mashhad

$111 14.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 91.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$70 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 72.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$54 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 61.3% $33

Getting Around

Mashhad

$32 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 172% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $150 in Mashhad and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Mashhad vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $352 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

09:41 9:41 AM

9 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Nosara 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mashhad and Nosara differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($745 vs $1,839 including rent). Mashhad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,118 in Mashhad 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: $150 in Mashhad versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $147 in Mashhad 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 206% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $745 in Mashhad versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mashhad 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 Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.