Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moss and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,476 in Moss, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Moss
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,476
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,476 per month in Moss vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Moss $2,476
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,721 per month in Moss vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Moss $3,721
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,966 per month in Moss vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Moss $4,966
  • Nosara $3,818

Moss costs about 35% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Moss and Nosara sit above the global median – Moss by 83%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.02 NOK 198
$12.35 ₡5,539
70.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.2 NOK 736
$61.2 ₡27.4K
27.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.46 NOK 127
$7.52 ₡3,373
78.99%
Cappuccino
$5.11 NOK 48.08
$4.41 ₡1,978
15.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 NOK 29.45
$1.74 ₡780
79.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 NOK 24.74
$1.31 ₡587
100.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.67 NOK 62.8
$3.28 ₡1,471
103.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.29 NOK 78.1
$4.47 ₡2,004
85.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.40 NOK 22.58
$1.56 ₡701
53.85%
White Bread (500g)
$3.56 NOK 33.54
$3.02 ₡1,355
17.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.54 NOK 33.35
$2.51 ₡1,125
41.04%
Eggs
$3.42 NOK 32.23
$3.57 ₡1,603
-4.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.38 NOK 126
$7.43 ₡3,333
80.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.92 NOK 122
$10.52 ₡4,717
22.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$27.90 NOK 263
$13.97 ₡6,265
99.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 NOK 31.79
$2.35 ₡1,052
43.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.57 NOK 24.21
$1.61 ₡720
59.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 NOK 27.81
$4.80 ₡2,152
-38.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.83 NOK 54.9
$1.61 ₡724
262.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 NOK 21.69
$3.80 ₡1,703
-39.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.49 NOK 23.47
$3.69 ₡1,657
-32.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 NOK 23.77
$1.13 ₡507
123.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 NOK 22.10
$2.66 ₡1,191
-11.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.35 NOK 144
$5.18 ₡2,321
196.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.77 NOK 148
$19.88 ₡8,916
-20.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 NOK 24.83
$2.90 ₡1,300
-8.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.85 NOK 36.27
$3.63 ₡1,626
6.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Moss
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.76 NOK 44.85
$1.12 ₡504
325.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.5 NOK 814
$72.6 ₡32.6K
19.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.43 NOK 98.2
$2.14 ₡958
387.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 NOK 17.66
$1.57 ₡703
19.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.81 NOK 431
$8.52 ₡3,823
437.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.30 NOK 21.66
$1.52 ₡682
51.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.6K NOK 401.0K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
97.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K NOK 387.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
19.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$299 NOK 2,816
$96.3 ₡43.2K
210.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.40 NOK 314
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-6.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.0 NOK 508
$53.6 ₡24.0K
0.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.52 NOK 372
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-44.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.32 NOK 314
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-4.55%
Cinema Ticket
$18.14 NOK 171
$7.89 ₡3,539
129.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$235 NOK 2,217
$494 ₡221.6K
-52.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,756 NOK 35.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-68.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.8 NOK 920
$53.9 ₡24.2K
81.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.0 NOK 565
$55.4 ₡24.8K
8.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 NOK 979
$77.9 ₡34.9K
33.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$142 NOK 1,332
$79.6 ₡35.7K
77.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Moss
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 NOK 11.5K
$788 ₡353.4K
54.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$912 NOK 8,586
$794 ₡356.2K
14.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,091 NOK 19.7K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-46.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,576 NOK 14.8K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
11.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,125 NOK 48.2K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-25.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,121 NOK 38.8K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
236.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Moss
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,341 NOK 40.9K
$864 ₡387.3K
402.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.94
8.62
-42.69%

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

Last update for Moss: 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
Moss
$912
Nosara
$794 12.9% $118
Groceries & Markets
Moss
$452
Nosara
$352 22% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Moss
$387
Nosara
$186 51.9% $201
Eating Out
Moss
$343
Nosara
$212 38.2% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Moss
$181
Nosara
$120 33.8% $61
Getting Around
Moss
$125
Nosara
$87 30.5% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Moss
$76
Nosara
$87 15.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,218 in Moss versus $788 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 run about 403% higher in Moss, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Moss versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $452 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Moss
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
17:33 5:33 PM
09:33 9:33 AM
8 h behind Moss
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
52,213
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Moss Nosara 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Moss
  • 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
Moss vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Moss or Nosara?
Moss costs about 35% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Moss and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,714 per month in Moss and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Moss or Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Moss compared to Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,476 in Moss and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 35%.
How expensive is transport in Moss compared to Nosara?
Public transport costs about 19% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Moss or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Moss at $2,476. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moss it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Moss or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,476 in Moss. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Moss compared to Nosara?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Moss or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moss makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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