Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Akranes

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,755 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 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
181

Cost of Living Index in Akranes
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Akranes Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Akranes

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Akranes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,755 in Akranes.

Nosara $1,839
Akranes $3,755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $5,928 in Akranes.

Nosara $2,828
Akranes $5,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $8,101 in Akranes.

Nosara $3,818
Akranes $8,101

Living in Nosara costs roughly 51% less than in Akranes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Akranes 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$30.83 ISK 3,740

-59.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$124 ISK 15.0K

-50.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$27.33 ISK 3,315

-72.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$6.00 ISK 728

-26.50%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.15 ISK 383

-44.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.48 ISK 301

-47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$10.82 ISK 1,313

-69.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$8.31 ISK 1,008

-46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.11 ISK 256

-26.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.00 ISK 243

51.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.71 ISK 450

-32.35%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$6.05 ISK 734

-40.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$20.76 ISK 2,518

-64.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$23.98 ISK 2,909

-56.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$41.92 ISK 5,085

-66.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.26 ISK 396

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.82 ISK 342

-42.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.12 ISK 379

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.78 ISK 580

-66.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.81 ISK 463

-0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.65 ISK 200

123.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.69 ISK 448

-69.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.84 ISK 224

44.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.83 ISK 1,678

-62.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$24.02 ISK 2,913

-17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.91 ISK 353

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.09 ISK 253

73.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.71 ISK 450

-69.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$73.6 ISK 8,931

-1.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$6.69 ISK 812

-68.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.20 ISK 145

30.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$80.0 ISK 9,704

-89.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.02 ISK 245

-24.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$49.8K ISK 6.0M

-56.59%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$52.8K ISK 6.4M

-34.69%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$94.6 ISK 11.5K

1.79%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.27 ISK 3,914

11.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$87.0 ISK 10.5K

-38.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$104 ISK 12.7K

-31.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$19.49 ISK 2,364

-59.52%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,197 ISK 145.2K

-58.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

-54.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$147 ISK 17.8K

-63.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$67.2 ISK 8,151

-17.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$182 ISK 22.1K

-57.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$253 ISK 30.7K

-68.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$3,026 ISK 367.0K

-73.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,934 ISK 234.6K

-58.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$4,979 ISK 603.9K

-20.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$3,759 ISK 455.9K

-62.24%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

$5,792 ISK 702.5K

-85.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.81

-2.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Akranes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Akranes

$1.9K 51.5% 144% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Akranes

$576 15.3% 63.5% $224

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Akranes

$494 13.2% 133% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Akranes

$214 5.7% 15.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Akranes

$292 7.8% 143% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Akranes

$143 3.8% 64% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Akranes

$101 2.7% 16.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $3,026 in Akranes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays 571% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $124 in Akranes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $576 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇸 Akranes

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Akranes 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Akranes

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 Akranes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 104% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 571% lower in Akranes. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $3,026 in Akranes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $3,755 in Akranes – a 104% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 1% less than in Akranes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,755 in Akranes, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Akranes. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Akranes 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 104% less than in Akranes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.