Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msida and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Msida and in Nosara: $1,778 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,778

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,778 per month in Msida vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Msida $1,778
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,648 per month in Msida vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Msida $2,648
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,519 per month in Msida vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Msida $3,519
Nosara $3,818

Msida is about 3% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Msida and Nosara sit above the global median – Msida by 32%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.27 €10.03

$12.35 ₡5,539

-8.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 €43.99

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-19.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 €9.72

$7.52 ₡3,373

45.21%

Cappuccino

$2.19 €1.95

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.34%

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

$2.17 €1.93

$1.74 ₡780

24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.31 ₡587

-16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.64 €4.13

$3.28 ₡1,471

41.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.92

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.56 ₡701

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 €3.74

$2.51 ₡1,125

67.33%

Eggs

$2.66 €2.36

$3.57 ₡1,603

-25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 €7.21

$7.43 ₡3,333

9.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 €9.09

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

30.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$2.35 ₡1,052

74.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.61 ₡720

73.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.61 ₡724

109.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.80 ₡1,703

-33.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.13 ₡507

101.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.66 ₡1,191

-48.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$5.18 ₡2,321

27.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$19.88 ₡8,916

-58.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.16

$3.63 ₡1,626

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.12 ₡504

96.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €5.04

$2.14 ₡958

164.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.57 ₡703

39.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.74 €23.79

$8.52 ₡3,823

213.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.52 ₡682

-2.63%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

72.00%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

13.21%

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

$83.7 €74.4

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-13.13%

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

$25.23 €22.44

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-29.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.58 €24.53

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €50.0

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 €8.91

$7.89 ₡3,539

26.87%

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

$371 €330

$494 ₡221.6K

-24.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,724

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-7.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

59.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 €36.06

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 €87.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 €68.7

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 €919

$788 ₡353.4K

31.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$794 ₡356.2K

12.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 €1,564

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 €1,315

$1,419 ₡636.5K

4.20%

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)

$2,714 €2,414

$864 ₡387.3K

214.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

8.62

-66.36%

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

Last update for Msida: 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

Msida

$895 50.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 11.2% $100

Groceries & Markets

Msida

$318 17.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.8% $34

Eating Out

Msida

$192 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 10.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msida

$136 7.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 36.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Msida

$136 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Msida

$76 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.6% $11

Getting Around

Msida

$25 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 243% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,033 in Msida 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 214% higher in Msida, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Msida versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $352 – making Msida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Msida

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

8 h behind Msida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Msida Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Msida
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

Msida vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,668 per month in Msida and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Msida, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,778 in Msida and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Msida and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Msida, where all-in costs run around $1,778, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Msida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

If budget matters most, go with Msida. 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.