Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Assela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $835 in Assela.

Nosara $1,839
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,203 in Assela.

Nosara $2,828
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,571 in Assela.

Nosara $3,818
Assela $1,571

Living in Nosara is roughly 120% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Assela is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$3.96 ETB 636

211.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$42.32 ETB 6,793

44.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$6.66 ETB 1,069

12.91%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$0.96 ETB 153

359.38%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.64 ETB 102

171.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.68 ETB 109

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$0.83 ETB 133

295.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$2.20 ETB 353

103.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.05 ETB 169

48.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.17 ETB 188

158.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.22 ETB 357

13.06%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.78 ETB 286

100.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$7.18 ETB 1,152

3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$10.17 ETB 1,632

3.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.17 ETB 1,471

52.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$5.43 ETB 871

-56.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$0.68 ETB 109

136.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.17 ETB 348

121.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$0.66 ETB 106

143.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.47 ETB 75.4

708.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.05 ETB 169

251.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.66 ETB 106

71.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.60 ETB 96.9

343.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-35.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$5.49 ETB 881

262.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$0.66 ETB 106

339.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.22 ETB 196

197.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.29 ETB 207

65.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.29 ETB 46.58

441.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$2.03 ETB 325

319.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$0.90 ETB 144

68.89%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-60.19%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-38.87%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$201 ETB 32.2K

-52.08%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.11 ETB 1,141

404.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$209 ETB 33.5K

-74.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$3.83 ETB 614

106.01%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$137 ETB 22.1K

259.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-60.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.25 ETB 5,337

62.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-21.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

-3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Assela

$211 25.3% 40% $141

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Assela

$77 9.2% 63.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Assela

$417 50% 125% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Assela

$119 14.3% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.2% $80

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 96.9% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $42.00 in Assela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $211 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

139,500

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.56 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Assela 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.