Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mullingar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,795 in Mullingar, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mullingar
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,795
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,795 in Mullingar versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Mullingar $2,795
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,953 in Mullingar versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Mullingar $3,953
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,112 in Mullingar versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Mullingar $5,112
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Mullingar is roughly 52% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mullingar 107% above, Nosara 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.99 €19.56
$12.35 ₡5,539
78.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$90.9 €80.9
$61.2 ₡27.4K
48.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.57 €11.18
$7.52 ₡3,373
67.15%
Cappuccino
$4.33 €3.85
$4.41 ₡1,978
-1.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 €2.51
$1.74 ₡780
62.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 €1.99
$1.31 ₡587
70.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.39 €6.57
$3.28 ₡1,471
125.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.55 €6.71
$4.47 ₡2,004
68.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 €1.37
$1.56 ₡701
-0.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 €1.11
$3.02 ₡1,355
-58.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 €1.67
$2.51 ₡1,125
-25.10%
Eggs
$3.95 €3.51
$3.57 ₡1,603
10.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.27 €10.03
$7.43 ₡3,333
51.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.96 €10.64
$10.52 ₡4,717
13.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.25 €14.45
$13.97 ₡6,265
16.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 €2.89
$2.35 ₡1,052
38.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.61 ₡720
21.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 €1.43
$4.80 ₡2,152
-66.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.07 €3.62
$1.61 ₡724
152.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$3.80 ₡1,703
-42.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 €1.07
$3.69 ₡1,657
-67.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.13 ₡507
20.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.98
$2.66 ₡1,191
-58.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.31 €18.07
$5.18 ₡2,321
292.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.30 €10.06
$19.88 ₡8,916
-43.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.77 €2.46
$2.90 ₡1,300
-4.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 €3.03
$3.63 ₡1,626
-6.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.64 €1.46
$1.12 ₡504
46.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$68.0 €60.5
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-6.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.08 €4.52
$2.14 ₡958
137.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.57 ₡703
-6.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.94 €29.30
$8.52 ₡3,823
286.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.52 ₡682
36.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K €34.9K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
81.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.2K €33.1K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
7.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 €175
$96.3 ₡43.2K
103.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.42 €19.06
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-40.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.1 €49.93
$53.6 ₡24.0K
4.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.6 €51.2
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-19.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.52 €29.81
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-3.98%
Cinema Ticket
$13.14 €11.68
$7.89 ₡3,539
66.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,001 €891
$494 ₡221.6K
102.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,358 €4,766
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-54.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.4 €83.9
$53.9 ₡24.2K
74.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.80 €38.07
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-22.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 €95.4
$77.9 ₡34.9K
37.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 €98.7
$79.6 ₡35.7K
39.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,730 €1,539
$788 ₡353.4K
119.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,533 €1,364
$794 ₡356.2K
93.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,379 €2,116
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-39.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,207 €1,963
$1,419 ₡636.5K
55.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,966 €3,527
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-42.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,801 €3,381
$1,224 ₡549.0K
210.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mullingar
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,552 €2,270
$864 ₡387.3K
195.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
8.62
-53.60%

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

Last update for Mullingar: 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
Mullingar
$1.5K
Nosara
$794 48.2% $739
Eating Out
Mullingar
$338
Nosara
$212 37.3% $126
Groceries & Markets
Mullingar
$319
Nosara
$352 10.4% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mullingar
$274
Nosara
$186 32.2% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Mullingar
$160
Nosara
$120 24.9% $40
Getting Around
Mullingar
$87
Nosara
$87 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Mullingar
$84
Nosara
$87 4.2% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,730 in Mullingar and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mullingar pays 195% 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: $91.0 in Mullingar vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $352, with Mullingar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Mullingar
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
13:30 1:30 PM
06:30 6:30 AM
7 h behind Mullingar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,667
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mullingar Nosara 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mullingar
  • 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
Mullingar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mullingar or Nosara?
Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Mullingar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Mullingar or in Nosara?
Average pay runs 195% higher in Mullingar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mullingar compared to Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,730 in Mullingar versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Mullingar compared to Nosara?
A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 7% less than in Mullingar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Mullingar and in Nosara?
Childcare runs $1,001 in Mullingar versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Mullingar or in Nosara?
At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,795 in Mullingar, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Mullingar. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mullingar or Nosara?
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.
How safe is Mullingar compared to Nosara?
Safety-wise, Mullingar 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Mullingar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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