Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mgarr and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,090 in Mgarr, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Mgarr
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Mgarr Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mgarr

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,090

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,090 in Mgarr versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mgarr $2,090
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,175 in Mgarr versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mgarr $3,175
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,260 in Mgarr versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mgarr $4,260
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mgarr is roughly 14% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mgarr 55% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.19 €19.74

$12.35 ₡5,539

79.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 €79.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

45.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.77

$7.52 ₡3,373

75.93%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.84

$4.41 ₡1,978

-27.66%

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

$2.31 €2.06

$1.74 ₡780

32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.31 ₡587

52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.89

$3.28 ₡1,471

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 €5.97

$4.47 ₡2,004

50.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.56 ₡701

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 €1.25

$3.02 ₡1,355

-53.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.51 ₡1,125

35.46%

Eggs

$4.48 €3.98

$3.57 ₡1,603

25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 €9.14

$7.43 ₡3,333

38.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 €10.44

$10.52 ₡4,717

11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 €16.24

$13.97 ₡6,265

30.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 €3.25

$2.35 ₡1,052

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.61 ₡720

68.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$4.80 ₡2,152

-21.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.41

$1.61 ₡724

137.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.69 ₡1,657

-9.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.13 ₡507

92.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.66 ₡1,191

-41.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 €5.45

$5.18 ₡2,321

18.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 €5.40

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.90 ₡1,300

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.12 ₡504

120.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$2.14 ₡958

79.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.57 ₡703

11.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.05 €28.51

$8.52 ₡3,823

276.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$27.5K €24.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

27.16%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

14.94%

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

$154 €137

$96.3 ₡43.2K

59.67%

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

$31.46 €27.98

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-12.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.71 €26.43

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-44.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 €60.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.13

$7.89 ₡3,539

44.23%

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

$281 €250

$494 ₡221.6K

-43.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

3.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 €50.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 €61.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

24.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

46.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

64.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 €1,002

$788 ₡353.4K

42.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 €837

$794 ₡356.2K

18.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 €1,588

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-54.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 €1,357

$1,419 ₡636.5K

7.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 €3,975

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,453 €2,182

$1,224 ₡549.0K

100.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Mgarr: 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

Mgarr

$941 45%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 15.6% $147

Groceries & Markets

Mgarr

$341 16.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Mgarr

$314 15%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mgarr

$215 10.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 13.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mgarr

$167 8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mgarr

$91 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.7% $3.3

Getting Around

Mgarr

$23 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 287% $65

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 $1,126 in Mgarr and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89.0 in Mgarr vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $352, with Mgarr cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mgarr

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

09:45 9:45 AM

8 h behind Mgarr

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

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

Mgarr Nosara 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mgarr
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

Mgarr vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Mgarr. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,136 in Mgarr and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,126 in Mgarr versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $281 in Mgarr 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 $89.0 in Mgarr. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,090 in Mgarr, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Mgarr. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mgarr 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 14% less than in Mgarr. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.