Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,402 in Asmara.

Nosara $1,837
Asmara $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,192 in Asmara.

Nosara $2,775
Asmara $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,983 in Asmara.

Nosara $3,712
Asmara $2,983

Living in Nosara is roughly 31% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Asmara 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$20.83 ERN 313

-41.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$33.92 ERN 509

77.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.04 ERN 90.7

24.83%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$0.77 ERN 11.54

459.74%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.97 ERN 14.60

77.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.02 ERN 15.28

32.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.62 ERN 9.30

422.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.64 ERN 24.67

-4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.33 ERN 35.01

3.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$2.98 ERN 44.76

149.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$26.73 ERN 401

-61.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$10.11 ERN 152

35.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$12.28 ERN 184

-81.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.32 ERN 19.79

21.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.95 ERN 29.31

143.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.14 ERN 17.05

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.76 ERN 26.40

111.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.95 ERN 14.26

275.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.26 ERN 33.91

12.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.87 ERN 178

68.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.98 ERN 14.76

184.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.02 ERN 15.27

246.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.14 ERN 2.13

750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$8.17 ERN 123

782.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.57 ERN 8.62

171.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$9.84 ERN 148

-9.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-37.70%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-67.17%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-49.68%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$25.13 ERN 377

271.87%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-48.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$202 ERN 3,031

-74.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$26.72 ERN 401

167.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$4.91 ERN 73.8

621.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$1.22 ERN 18.40

542.62%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$24.69 ERN 371

1882.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

358.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$136 ERN 2,039

-60.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$120 ERN 1,800

-53.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$203 ERN 3,056

-61.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$152 ERN 2,276

-47.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$246 ERN 3,700

219.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$199 ERN 2,988

292.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$457 ERN 6,867

744.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$432 ERN 6,488

225.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

443.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

-51.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-28.17%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 74.5% $581

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 4.1% $14

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 2.1% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 64.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 128% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 66.5% $58

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 86.6% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $364, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, 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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Asmara 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Asmara differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,402 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $2,103 in Asmara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $246 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 782% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $24.69 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.