Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Massa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Massa: $1,579 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Massa
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Massa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Massa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,579

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,579 in Massa versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Massa $1,579
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Massa versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Massa $2,524
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,470 in Massa versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Massa $3,470
Nosara $3,818

Living in Massa costs roughly 14% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Massa 17% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.00 €15.12

$12.35 ₡5,539

37.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 €65.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.10

$7.52 ₡3,373

80.85%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €2.01

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.75%

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

$2.31 €2.05

$1.74 ₡780

32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.31 ₡587

-12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 €5.36

$4.47 ₡2,004

34.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.56 ₡701

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.46

$3.02 ₡1,355

-8.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.51 ₡1,125

3.19%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$3.57 ₡1,603

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.31 €16.29

$7.43 ₡3,333

146.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.06 €11.62

$10.52 ₡4,717

24.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.36 €15.44

$13.97 ₡6,265

24.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.35 ₡1,052

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.61 ₡720

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$4.80 ₡2,152

-59.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.61 ₡724

53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.13 ₡507

46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$2.66 ₡1,191

-77.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.81

$5.18 ₡2,321

26.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 €7.05

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.63 ₡1,626

-49.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.12 ₡504

51.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.07 €36.53

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 €4.82

$2.14 ₡958

153.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.57 ₡703

-6.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.70 €24.64

$8.52 ₡3,823

225.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.52 ₡682

29.61%

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

$36.6K €32.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

69.51%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.67%

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

$237 €211

$96.3 ₡43.2K

145.99%

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

$11.74 €10.45

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.78 €24.71

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 €48.97

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-23.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.85 €21.21

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-31.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.21 €8.19

$7.89 ₡3,539

16.73%

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

$559 €497

$494 ₡221.6K

13.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,386 €3,902

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-63.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

62.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.33 €37.65

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 €83.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 €139

$79.6 ₡35.7K

96.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 €536

$788 ₡353.4K

-23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 €368

$794 ₡356.2K

-47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 €960

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-72.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$851 €757

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-40.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 €2,593

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-57.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,038 €1,812

$1,224 ₡549.0K

66.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,690 €1,504

$864 ₡387.3K

95.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.62

-59.86%

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

Last update for Massa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Massa

$414 26.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 92.1% $381

Groceries & Markets

Massa

$331 21%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Massa

$276 17.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32.8% $91

Eating Out

Massa

$253 16%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 16.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Massa

$171 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 29.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Massa

$73 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.9% $14

Getting Around

Massa

$61 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 43.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $603 in Massa and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Massa pays 96% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Massa vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $331 vs $352, with Massa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Massa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

20:41 8:41 PM

8 h behind Massa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,479

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Massa Nosara 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Massa
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

Massa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Massa and Nosara differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,579 vs $1,839 including rent). Massa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Massa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $603 in Massa versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Massa – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,579 per month in Massa versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,579 in Massa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Massa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Massa 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, Massa 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 Massa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.