Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Abalessa

For one person, living is cheaper in Abalessa: $525 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara, Costa Rica
Abalessa, Algeria
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,846
/mo nomad
Abalessa
🇩🇿 Algeria
$525
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Abalessa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Abalessa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $525 in Abalessa, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,846
  • Abalessa $525

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $839 in Abalessa, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,833
  • Abalessa $839

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $1,153 in Abalessa, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,820
  • Abalessa $1,153

Nosara costs about 252% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Abalessa is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.36 ₡5,578
$3.63 DZD 489
240.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 ₡27.4K
$15.45 DZD 2,079
293.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.88 ₡3,558
$3.37 DZD 454
133.83%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₡1,987
$0.62 DZD 82.8
609.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡776
$0.62 DZD 83.5
177.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 ₡603
$0.25 DZD 33.17
436.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.34 ₡1,506
$1.67 DZD 225
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.54 ₡2,049
$2.30 DZD 310
97.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ₡739
$0.80 DZD 107
105.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.16 ₡1,427
$0.12 DZD 16.03
2533.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 ₡1,080
$1.30 DZD 175
83.85%
Eggs
$3.47 ₡1,564
$1.04 DZD 139
233.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.13 ₡3,219
$6.95 DZD 935
2.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.32 ₡4,657
$3.61 DZD 487
185.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,305
$12.56 DZD 1,691
11.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 ₡1,032
$2.13 DZD 286
7.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ₡732
$2.77 DZD 373
-41.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.81 ₡2,171
$1.05 DZD 141
358.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 ₡758
$0.82 DZD 110
104.88%
Potato (1kg)
$3.91 ₡1,766
$0.58 DZD 78.2
574.14%
Onion (1kg)
$3.63 ₡1,641
$0.47 DZD 62.9
672.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡510
$0.77 DZD 104
46.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 ₡1,188
$0.28 DZD 37.76
839.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.02 ₡2,268
$2.87 DZD 386
74.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.71 ₡8,897
$6.54 DZD 880
201.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.91 ₡1,315
$1.36 DZD 183
113.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₡1,598
$2.13 DZD 287
66.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 ₡545
$0.23 DZD 31.57
426.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.8 ₡33.3K
$7.08 DZD 953
941.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.15 ₡970
$0.64 DZD 86.5
235.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 ₡738
$0.44 DZD 59.6
270.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.77 ₡3,960
$5.00 DZD 673
75.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 ₡701
$0.31 DZD 41.91
400.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K ₡15.3M
$29.0K DZD 3.9M
16.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K ₡17.4M
$37.3K DZD 5.0M
3.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.2 ₡43.0K
$35.70 DZD 4,805
166.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.29 ₡16.4K
$10.32 DZD 1,390
251.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.0 ₡23.5K
$12.33 DZD 1,660
321.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.6 ₡30.5K
$20.78 DZD 2,797
225.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.55 ₡16.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.54 ₡3,405
$4.41 DZD 593
70.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$496 ₡224.1K
$334 DZD 45.0K
48.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K ₡5.3M
$4,930 DZD 663.6K
138.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.1 ₡24.9K
$33.29 DZD 4,480
65.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.1 ₡25.3K
$35.88 DZD 4,830
56.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.8 ₡35.1K
$73.4 DZD 9,878
6.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.1 ₡35.7K
$79.5 DZD 10.7K
-0.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$817 ₡369.0K
$128 DZD 17.2K
538.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$806 ₡363.8K
$99.1 DZD 13.3K
712.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,988 ₡1.8M
$272 DZD 36.6K
1364.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,429 ₡645.2K
$195 DZD 26.2K
634.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,068 ₡3.2M
$1,070 DZD 144.0K
560.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,197 ₡540.3K
$1,084 DZD 146.0K
10.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Abalessa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$888 ₡400.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
5.3
62.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Abalessa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$806
Abalessa
$99 87.7% $707
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$351
Abalessa
$164 53.3% $187
Eating Out
Nosara
$213
Abalessa
$63 70.5% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$184
Abalessa
$58 68.2% $125
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$121
Abalessa
$100 17.2% $21
Getting Around
Nosara
$89
Abalessa
$11 87.8% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$83
Abalessa
$30 64.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $128 in Abalessa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $15 in Abalessa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $164 – making Abalessa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇩🇿 Abalessa
🕒 Local time
01:11 1:11 AM
08:11 8:11 AM
7 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
6,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Abalessa 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Abalessa

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
Nosara vs Abalessa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Abalessa?
Nosara costs about 252% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 Nosara and in Abalessa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $787 in Abalessa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Nosara or Abalessa?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Abalessa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $817 in Nosara.
Are groceries more expensive in Nosara or in Abalessa?
Groceries cost about 114% more in Nosara, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Nosara and in Abalessa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $15 in Abalessa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Nosara or in Abalessa?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Abalessa, where all-in costs run around $525, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Abalessa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Abalessa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Abalessa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 72% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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