Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,021 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Adama

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 Adama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,021 in Adama, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Adama $1,021

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,672 in Adama, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Adama $1,672

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,323 in Adama, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Adama $2,323

Nosara costs about 80% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Adama is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.99 ETB 480

308.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$42.94 ETB 6,900

40.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.91 ETB 789

53.56%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$0.91 ETB 146

373.63%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.59 ETB 94.0

191.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.31 ETB 50.1

335.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.77 ETB 124

320.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.27 ETB 364

97.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.81 ETB 131

93.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.21 ETB 195

161.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.15 ETB 345

12.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.81 ETB 291

97.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.25 ETB 1,165

2.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$10.12 ETB 1,626

2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$8.96 ETB 1,440

52.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$5.33 ETB 857

-56.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.63 ETB 101

155.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.12 ETB 340

123.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.65 ETB 105

155.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.47 ETB 75.4

691.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.04 ETB 167

243.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.66 ETB 106

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.57 ETB 91.7

347.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$8.21 ETB 1,320

-39.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.74 ETB 922

248.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.71 ETB 115

292.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.22 ETB 197

189.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.30 ETB 209

72.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.27 ETB 43.11

474.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$1.94 ETB 312

356.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.89 ETB 143

76.40%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

-60.16%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

-37.48%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$204 ETB 32.7K

-54.14%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$7.21 ETB 1,159

386.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$211 ETB 33.8K

-75.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.86 ETB 620

103.11%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$136 ETB 21.9K

258.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-60.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$33.62 ETB 5,401

59.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

-20.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

-3.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$350 ETB 56.2K

124.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$199 ETB 32.0K

291.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$985 ETB 158.3K

291.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$811 ETB 130.3K

73.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$101 ETB 16.3K

764.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

18.5

-53.41%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Adama

$199 19.5% 74.5% $581

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Adama

$208 20.4% 40.5% $142

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Adama

$62 6% 70.6% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Adama

$422 41.4% 134% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Adama

$118 11.6% 1.6% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8% 91.1% $79

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 97% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $350 in Adama. 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 764% higher in Nosara, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $43.00 in Adama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $208 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

228,623

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Adama 13,580 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,021 in Adama – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,531 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $43.00 in Adama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Adama, where all-in costs run around $1,021, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Adama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Adama to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Adama. 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.