Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nice and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,267 in Nice, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Nice
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Nice Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nice

🇫🇷 France

$2,267

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,267 in Nice versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Nice $2,267
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,606 in Nice versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Nice $3,606
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,944 in Nice versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Nice $4,944
Nosara $3,712

Living in Nice is roughly 23% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nice 69% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.57 €18.35

$12.22 ₡5,509

68.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

47.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.51 €12.06

$7.54 ₡3,399

79.18%

Cappuccino

$3.75 €3.34

$4.31 ₡1,941

-12.99%

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

$3.65 €3.26

$1.72 ₡773

112.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.35 ₡608

80.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 €7.19

$3.24 ₡1,459

148.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 €6.84

$4.48 ₡2,018

70.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.57 ₡707

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.98

$3.17 ₡1,429

-30.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.42 ₡1,091

13.64%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$3.57 ₡1,609

30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.61 €19.29

$7.43 ₡3,349

190.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.18 €15.33

$10.42 ₡4,697

64.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.30 €20.79

$13.66 ₡6,156

70.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.78

$2.32 ₡1,044

82.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.61 ₡728

49.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 €2.73

$4.74 ₡2,138

-35.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.56

$1.66 ₡747

140.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$3.72 ₡1,679

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$3.57 ₡1,611

-27.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.10 ₡497

56.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$2.55 ₡1,149

-67.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.89

$4.95 ₡2,232

169.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 €7.99

$20.01 ₡9,020

-55.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.23

$2.79 ₡1,256

29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.69

$3.53 ₡1,589

17.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.19 ₡537

61.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.85 €44.49

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-30.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 €2.96

$2.24 ₡1,011

48.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.55 ₡701

45.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 €25.82

$8.86 ₡3,993

226.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.57 ₡708

36.31%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

59.59%

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

$35.5K €31.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

2.52%

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

$228 €203

$93.5 ₡42.1K

143.99%

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

$16.63 €14.84

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-52.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.11 €29.55

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-35.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.53 €28.13

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-55.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.52 €31.70

$35.44 ₡16.0K

0.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 €13.88

$7.84 ₡3,535

98.34%

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

$1,546 €1,380

$490 ₡220.7K

215.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K €15.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

41.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$53.5 ₡24.1K

111.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 €44.70

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

37.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$190 €170

$78.9 ₡35.6K

140.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €981

$786 ₡354.3K

39.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 €753

$780 ₡351.6K

8.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 €1,804

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-47.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 €1,524

$1,407 ₡634.4K

21.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,356 €6,564

$6,972 ₡3.1M

5.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,172 €3,723

$1,201 ₡541.3K

247.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,521 €2,249

$876 ₡395.0K

187.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

8.62

-54.76%

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

Last update for Nice: 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

Nice

$844 37.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 7.6% $64

Groceries & Markets

Nice

$432 19.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 19.1% $82

Eating Out

Nice

$330 14.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 36.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nice

$278 12.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 35.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Nice

$208 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 42.1% $88

Getting Around

Nice

$72 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nice

$63 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 39.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,100 in Nice and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nice pays 188% 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: $89.0 in Nice vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nice

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

23:23 11:23 PM

8 h behind Nice

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,085

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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Highest

Between locations

Nice Nosara 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nice
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

Nice vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 188% higher in Nice, 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: $1,100 in Nice versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,267 per month in Nice versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 45% less than in Nice. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,267 in Nice, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Nice. 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 Nice, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nice 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 23% less than in Nice. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.