Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaghan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,403 in Monaghan, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Monaghan
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Monaghan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Monaghan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,403

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,403 in Monaghan versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Monaghan $2,403
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,383 in Monaghan versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Monaghan $3,383
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,363 in Monaghan versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Monaghan $4,363
Nosara $3,818

Living in Monaghan is roughly 31% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monaghan 78% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.64

$12.35 ₡5,539

42.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 €10.74

$7.52 ₡3,373

60.51%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.85

$4.41 ₡1,978

-1.81%

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

$2.82 €2.51

$1.74 ₡780

62.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.31 ₡587

64.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.09

$3.28 ₡1,471

108.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 €6.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.56 ₡701

1.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.02 ₡1,355

-27.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.51 ₡1,125

-22.31%

Eggs

$4.29 €3.81

$3.57 ₡1,603

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 €8.98

$7.43 ₡3,333

35.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.40

$10.52 ₡4,717

21.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 €12.13

$13.97 ₡6,265

-2.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.35 ₡1,052

30.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.61 ₡720

39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 €2.70

$4.80 ₡2,152

-36.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 €4.28

$1.61 ₡724

198.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.80 ₡1,703

-45.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$3.69 ₡1,657

-59.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.13 ₡507

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.66 ₡1,191

-22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.42 €18.16

$5.18 ₡2,321

294.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.17 €11.71

$19.88 ₡8,916

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.90 ₡1,300

1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.16

$3.63 ₡1,626

-2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.12 ₡504

136.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.53

$2.14 ₡958

137.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.57 ₡703

-5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.36 €31.45

$8.52 ₡3,823

315.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.52 ₡682

25.66%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

81.31%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.30%

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

$236 €210

$96.3 ₡43.2K

145.28%

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

$19.05 €16.94

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-46.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 €45.76

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-3.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 €51.5

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 €12.15

$7.89 ₡3,539

73.00%

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

$1,018 €906

$494 ₡221.6K

106.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,685 €5,057

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-52.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

74.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.80 €40.74

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-17.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$79.6 ₡35.7K

54.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,160

$788 ₡353.4K

65.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 €1,044

$794 ₡356.2K

47.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 €1,969

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-43.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 €1,567

$1,419 ₡636.5K

24.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,880 €3,451

$864 ₡387.3K

349.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

8.62

-51.97%

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

Last update for Monaghan: 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

Monaghan

$1.2K 48.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.3% $380

Groceries & Markets

Monaghan

$350 14.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.6% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monaghan

$307 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.4% $121

Eating Out

Monaghan

$297 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.6% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Monaghan

$167 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 28.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Monaghan

$85 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.5% $2.1

Getting Around

Monaghan

$23 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 277% $64

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 $1,304 in Monaghan and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaghan pays 349% 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: $57.0 in Monaghan vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $352 per month, with Monaghan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Monaghan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

10:13 10:13 AM

7 h behind Monaghan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,700

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Monaghan Nosara 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Monaghan
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

Monaghan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 349% higher in Monaghan, 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: $1,304 in Monaghan versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Monaghan pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,403 per month in Monaghan versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,403 in Monaghan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Monaghan. 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 Monaghan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Monaghan 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 31% less than in Monaghan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.