Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mellieha and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Mellieha and in Nosara: $1,868 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,868 in Mellieha versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mellieha $1,868
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,814 in Mellieha versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mellieha $2,814
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,761 in Mellieha versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mellieha $3,761
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mellieha is roughly 2% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mellieha 38% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €14.98

$12.35 ₡5,539

36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 €57.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

5.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 €9.55

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.82%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.91%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$1.74 ₡780

39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.31 ₡587

51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 €3.49

$3.28 ₡1,471

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 €6.08

$4.47 ₡2,004

53.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.56 ₡701

-12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.51 ₡1,125

37.05%

Eggs

$4.43 €3.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

24.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 €9.03

$7.43 ₡3,333

36.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 €8.80

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 €16.21

$13.97 ₡6,265

30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.61 ₡720

74.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.80 ₡2,152

-16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.36

$1.61 ₡724

134.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.13 ₡507

50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.66 ₡1,191

-56.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$5.18 ₡2,321

24.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.90 ₡1,300

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.43

$1.12 ₡504

144.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$2.14 ₡958

85.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.57 ₡703

17.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$8.52 ₡3,823

289.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.52 ₡682

-3.95%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.15%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.93%

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

$104 €92.3

$96.3 ₡43.2K

7.82%

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

$30.81 €27.40

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-14.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 €25.57

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-46.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-16.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.51

$7.89 ₡3,539

6.97%

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

$282 €250

$494 ₡221.6K

-43.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

4.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €50.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

6.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.17 €34.85

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 €73.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 €64.7

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$788 ₡353.4K

43.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €814

$794 ₡356.2K

15.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 €1,591

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-54.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,341

$1,419 ₡636.5K

6.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,935 €3,500

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-43.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,224 ₡549.0K

125.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,350 €1,201

$864 ₡387.3K

56.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

8.62

-53.02%

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

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mellieha

$915 49%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 13.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Mellieha

$326 17.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.2% $27

Eating Out

Mellieha

$250 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 15.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mellieha

$163 8.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 13.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mellieha

$113 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.2% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Mellieha

$77 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 261% $63

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 $1,131 in Mellieha and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mellieha pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65.0 in Mellieha vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $352, with Mellieha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

09:07 9:07 AM

8 h behind Mellieha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,087

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

Mellieha Nosara 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mellieha
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

Mellieha vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Mellieha, 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: $1,131 in Mellieha versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $282 in Mellieha versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $65.0 in Mellieha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,868 in Mellieha, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Mellieha. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mellieha, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mellieha 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 2% less than in Mellieha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.