Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $457
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $749
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $1,040
Nosara $3,814

Mersa Matruh is about 75% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mersa Matruh sits 66% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 E£234

$12.34 ₡5,584

-65.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.05 E£1,062

$61.3 ₡27.7K

-68.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£264

$7.76 ₡3,512

-39.18%

Cappuccino

$1.27 E£70.6

$4.44 ₡2,009

-71.40%

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

$0.33 E£18.14

$1.79 ₡810

-81.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.01

$1.29 ₡585

-91.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.8

$3.24 ₡1,464

-58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£156

$4.43 ₡2,003

-37.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.65

$1.55 ₡702

-43.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£37.07

$3.08 ₡1,392

-78.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£36.07

$2.53 ₡1,143

-74.31%

Eggs

$1.19 E£66.1

$3.45 ₡1,560

-65.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 E£212

$7.32 ₡3,313

-48.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 E£237

$10.24 ₡4,635

-58.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 E£515

$14.10 ₡6,382

-34.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£86.1

$2.29 ₡1,036

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£41.82

$1.64 ₡744

-54.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£30.85

$4.79 ₡2,168

-88.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.76

$1.64 ₡742

-78.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.59

$3.85 ₡1,743

-93.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.70

$3.75 ₡1,696

-92.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£15.19

$1.09 ₡492

-75.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.99

$2.59 ₡1,170

-91.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$5.12 ₡2,315

-63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 E£316

$19.92 ₡9,010

-71.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 E£69.6

$2.80 ₡1,266

-55.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 E£127

$3.52 ₡1,594

-35.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.72

$1.22 ₡554

-82.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 E£31.13

$2.17 ₡982

-74.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.23

$1.56 ₡704

-89.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£67.1

$8.67 ₡3,921

-86.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.06

$1.55 ₡703

-72.26%

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

$32.5K E£1.8M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-5.98%

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

$27.1K E£1.5M

$38.7K ₡17.5M

-30.13%

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

$14.05 E£784

$94.8 ₡42.9K

-85.18%

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

$6.68 E£373

$36.15 ₡16.4K

-81.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.50 E£753

$53.1 ₡24.0K

-74.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.88 E£885

$73.8 ₡33.4K

-78.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.1K

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 E£162

$7.91 ₡3,579

-63.21%

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

$85.0 E£4,740

$490 ₡221.8K

-82.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,090 E£116.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-82.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 E£1,881

$54.8 ₡24.8K

-38.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 E£2,560

$55.9 ₡25.3K

-17.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 E£7,112

$80.4 ₡36.4K

58.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,202

$77.9 ₡35.2K

-26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 E£7,152

$801 ₡362.3K

-83.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 E£4,278

$790 ₡357.2K

-90.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 E£14.3K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-93.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£8,048

$1,409 ₡637.6K

-89.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 E£43.0K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-89.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 E£19.7K

$1,236 ₡559.2K

-71.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$94.2 E£5,253

$887 ₡401.1K

-89.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

8.62

147.45%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 177% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$119 26%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 1.6% $2

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 176% $136

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 929% $713

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 438% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 313% $68

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 3879% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $801 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 in Nosara are about 9.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $350 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

9 h behind Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 452 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mersa Matruh Nosara 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

Mersa Matruh vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 301% more than Mersa Matruh, 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 $686 per month in Mersa Matruh and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $801 in Nosara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 177% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. 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.