Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,531 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,531

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,531 in Milan versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Milan $2,531
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,874 in Milan versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Milan $3,874
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,216 in Milan versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Milan $5,216
Nosara $3,712

Living in Milan is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 89% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.18

$12.22 ₡5,509

85.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

46.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.91

$7.54 ₡3,399

76.92%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$4.31 ₡1,941

-49.88%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$1.72 ₡773

113.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.35 ₡608

34.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.12

$3.24 ₡1,459

111.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$4.48 ₡2,018

50.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.57 ₡707

8.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 €2.92

$3.17 ₡1,429

3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$2.42 ₡1,091

51.65%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.40

$3.57 ₡1,609

38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.72 €20.27

$7.43 ₡3,349

205.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.25 €12.72

$10.42 ₡4,697

36.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.58 €20.15

$13.66 ₡6,156

65.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.32 ₡1,044

28.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.61 ₡728

51.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$4.74 ₡2,138

-28.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.75

$1.66 ₡747

153.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$3.72 ₡1,679

-37.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$3.57 ₡1,611

-41.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.10 ₡497

56.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.55 ₡1,149

-77.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.52

$4.95 ₡2,232

47.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.79 €8.74

$20.01 ₡9,020

-51.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.79 ₡1,256

-27.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$3.53 ₡1,589

-30.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.19 ₡537

106.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.94 €39.21

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-39.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.96

$2.24 ₡1,011

248.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.55 ₡701

46.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.7 €57.8

$8.86 ₡3,993

630.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.57 ₡708

38.85%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

64.96%

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

$35.8K €32.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

3.38%

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

$252 €225

$93.5 ₡42.1K

169.81%

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

$10.22 €9.12

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-70.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.41 €26.24

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-42.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.6 €76.4

$71.4 ₡32.2K

19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.45 €30.74

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-2.79%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 €10.84

$7.84 ₡3,535

54.85%

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

$837 €747

$490 ₡220.7K

71.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K €17.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

61.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

89.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.73 €44.38

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-10.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €105

$79.3 ₡35.7K

48.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$78.9 ₡35.6K

109.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 €1,531

$786 ₡354.3K

118.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,034

$780 ₡351.6K

48.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 €3,045

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-11.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 €1,844

$1,407 ₡634.4K

46.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,479

$6,972 ₡3.1M

52.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,004 €4,466

$1,201 ₡541.3K

316.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,954

$876 ₡395.0K

149.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

8.62

-63.11%

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

Last update for Milan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 32.7% $379

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$415 16.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 15.8% $65

Eating Out

Milan

$317 12.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$292 11.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 38.3% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$195 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 38.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$110 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.7% $23

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 19.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,715 in Milan and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 150% 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: $88.0 in Milan vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

8 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Milan Nosara 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Milan
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

Milan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 150% higher in Milan, 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: $1,715 in Milan versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $837 in Milan versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,531 in Milan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Milan. 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 Milan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Milan 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 38% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.