Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,472 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,472

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Matera vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Matera $1,472
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,358 per month in Matera vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Matera $2,358
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,245 per month in Matera vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Matera $3,245
Nosara $3,818

Matera is about 20% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Matera and Nosara sit above the global median – Matera by 9%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 €13.23

$12.35 ₡5,539

20.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 €55.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

1.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

47.34%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.62

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.73%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$1.74 ₡780

27.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.31 ₡587

-13.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.88

$3.28 ₡1,471

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.56 ₡701

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.51 ₡1,125

29.88%

Eggs

$3.55 €3.16

$3.57 ₡1,603

-0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.56 €13.84

$7.43 ₡3,333

109.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €10.92

$10.52 ₡4,717

16.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.54 €18.27

$13.97 ₡6,265

47.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.35 ₡1,052

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.61 ₡720

29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$4.80 ₡2,152

-77.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.30

$1.61 ₡724

131.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.13 ₡507

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.03

$5.18 ₡2,321

30.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 €5.47

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.70

$3.63 ₡1,626

-16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.12 ₡504

55.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.36 €18.11

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-71.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$2.14 ₡958

106.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.57 ₡703

-19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.36 €20.78

$8.52 ₡3,823

174.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.52 ₡682

28.95%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.80%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

3.20%

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

$203 €180

$96.3 ₡43.2K

110.63%

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

$9.48 €8.43

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-73.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 €27.67

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 €48.77

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-23.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 €21.33

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-31.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.95

$7.89 ₡3,539

41.83%

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

$453 €403

$494 ₡221.6K

-8.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,017 €7,131

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 €59.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

24.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.36 €37.68

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$79.6 ₡35.7K

68.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 €620

$788 ₡353.4K

-11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$413 €367

$794 ₡356.2K

-48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 €942

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 €771

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-38.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,726 €2,425

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-60.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,234 €2,877

$1,224 ₡549.0K

164.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,759 €1,564

$864 ₡387.3K

103.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

8.62

-64.27%

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

Last update for Matera: 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

Matera

$413 28%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 92.5% $382

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$324 22%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$243 16.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 23.7% $58

Eating Out

Matera

$221 15%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4.3% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$156 10.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$77 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Matera

$38 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 129% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $697 in Matera 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 104% higher in Matera, 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 $62.0 in Matera versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Matera vs $352 in Nosara – so Matera wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

20:51 8:51 PM

8 h behind Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

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

Matera Nosara 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Matera
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

Matera vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 25% more than Matera, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,208 per month in Matera 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 Matera, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 257% less in Matera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $453 per month in Matera and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matera, where all-in costs run around $1,472, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Matera it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Matera costs $1,472 versus $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Matera. 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.