Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maspalomas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,932 in Maspalomas, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maspalomas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Maspalomas
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Maspalomas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Maspalomas

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,932 per month in Maspalomas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Maspalomas $1,932
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,595 per month in Maspalomas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Maspalomas $2,595
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,258 per month in Maspalomas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Maspalomas $3,258
Nosara $3,818

Maspalomas costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Maspalomas and Nosara sit above the global median – Maspalomas by 43%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.30 €11.83

$12.35 ₡5,539

7.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.0 €64.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 €9.55

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.82%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.22

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.54%

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

$2.13 €1.89

$1.74 ₡780

22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.31 ₡587

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 €2.71

$3.28 ₡1,471

-7.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.26

$4.47 ₡2,004

-17.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.47

$3.02 ₡1,355

-45.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.85%

Eggs

$3.51 €3.12

$3.57 ₡1,603

-1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 €10.83

$7.43 ₡3,333

63.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 €7.99

$10.52 ₡4,717

-14.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.15 €16.14

$13.97 ₡6,265

29.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.35 ₡1,052

10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.61 ₡720

24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.61 ₡724

5.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-40.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.69 ₡1,657

-35.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.13 ₡507

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$2.66 ₡1,191

-68.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 €3.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

-14.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.06

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.32

$3.63 ₡1,626

-28.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.12 ₡504

207.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 €49.20

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-23.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.03

$2.14 ₡958

59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.57 ₡703

42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.29 €25.16

$8.52 ₡3,823

232.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.52 ₡682

13.82%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.18%

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

$28.9K €25.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.28%

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

$113 €101

$96.3 ₡43.2K

17.75%

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

$16.53 €14.70

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-53.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.84 €24.77

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.01

$7.89 ₡3,539

14.20%

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

$467 €416

$494 ₡221.6K

-5.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,511 €5,792

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-45.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 €74.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

55.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.74 €20.22

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-58.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 €80.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 €72.2

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 €1,264

$788 ₡353.4K

80.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 €943

$794 ₡356.2K

33.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 €1,207

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 €1,028

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-18.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,151 €5,471

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-11.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,097 €4,534

$1,224 ₡549.0K

316.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,453 €1,293

$864 ₡387.3K

68.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

8.62

-63.46%

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

Last update for Maspalomas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maspalomas

$1.1K 54.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 25.1% $266

Groceries & Markets

Maspalomas

$280 14.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 25.6% $72

Eating Out

Maspalomas

$206 10.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 2.6% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maspalomas

$158 8.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Maspalomas

$125 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 4% $5

Getting Around

Maspalomas

$84 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4.1% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Maspalomas

$18 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 385% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,421 in Maspalomas 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 68% higher in Maspalomas, 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 $72.0 in Maspalomas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $280 in Maspalomas vs $352 in Nosara – so Maspalomas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Maspalomas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

7 h behind Maspalomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

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

Maspalomas Nosara 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maspalomas
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

Maspalomas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maspalomas costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,898 per month in Maspalomas 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.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $467 per month in Maspalomas 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 Maspalomas at $1,932. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maspalomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $1,932 in Maspalomas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Maspalomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.