Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $586 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
Learn more

An Najaf Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $586 in An Najaf, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
An Najaf $586

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $888 in An Najaf, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
An Najaf $888

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,190 in An Najaf, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
An Najaf $1,190

Nosara costs about 214% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while An Najaf is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.06 IQD 6,132

204.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.68 IQD 29.7K

210.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.25 IQD 6,429

76.94%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.29 IQD 3,455

92.58%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.33 IQD 494

427.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.20 IQD 302

555.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.22 IQD 4,872

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.98 IQD 2,989

125.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.90 IQD 1,363

73.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.68 IQD 1,022

344.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.31 IQD 1,981

91.60%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.48 IQD 2,240

141.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.41 IQD 5,154

117.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.07 IQD 6,157

158.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.27 IQD 14.0K

50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.01 IQD 1,530

132.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.96 IQD 1,445

67.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.88 IQD 1,333

445.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.63 IQD 950

155.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.58 IQD 880

555.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.56 IQD 841

558.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.58 IQD 875

94.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.49 IQD 742

442.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.70 IQD 2,564

204.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.66 IQD 17.6K

70.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.92 IQD 2,907

51.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.93 IQD 2,923

88.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.33 IQD 492

239.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$18.92 IQD 28.6K

283.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.34 IQD 2,022

59.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.29 IQD 1,942

21.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.36 IQD 8,095

58.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.39 IQD 584

289.74%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$12.0K IQD 18.1M

80.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

106.28%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$34.90 IQD 52.7K

175.90%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.79 IQD 22.3K

142.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$32.93 IQD 49.8K

62.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.24 IQD 38.1K

183.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.38 IQD 12.7K

-5.85%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$147 IQD 222.3K

235.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$799 IQD 1.2M

1384.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$14.90 IQD 22.5K

262.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$23.76 IQD 35.9K

133.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$60.5 IQD 91.5K

28.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$41.72 IQD 63.0K

90.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$235 IQD 354.8K

235.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$124 IQD 187.9K

538.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$319 IQD 481.5K

1136.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$194 IQD 292.4K

633.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,118 IQD 1.7M

518.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$455 IQD 687.3K

169.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$659 IQD 996.4K

30.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.12

109.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for An Najaf: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

An Najaf

$124 21.2% 84.3% $670

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

An Najaf

$151 25.7% 57.2% $202

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

An Najaf

$95 16.2% 55.2% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

An Najaf

$83 14.1% 55.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

An Najaf

$63 10.8% 47.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

An Najaf

$42 7.2% 51.9% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

An Najaf

$28 4.8% 67.9% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $235 in An Najaf. 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 31% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $20.00 in An Najaf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $151 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,221,248

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara An Najaf 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 214% more than An Najaf, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $879 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $586 in An Najaf. That's a gap of about 214%.

Public transport costs about 284% less in An Najaf. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $586, than in Nosara at $1,839. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. An Najaf costs $586 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 An Najaf. 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.