Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Athens: $1,837 and $1,806 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,806 in Athens.

Nosara $1,837
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,731 in Athens.

Nosara $2,775
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,656 in Athens.

Nosara $3,712
Athens $3,656

Living in Nosara is roughly 2% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$16.66 €14.85

-26.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$66.2 €59.0

-9.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.06 €9.86

-31.83%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.14 €3.69

4.11%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.80 €2.50

-38.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.57 €0.51

136.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.64 €5.03

-42.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$5.46 €4.86

-17.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.96 €1.74

-19.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.41 €1.25

124.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.83 €2.53

-14.49%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$5.04 €4.49

-29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$15.35 €13.68

-51.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$10.34 €9.22

0.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$18.97 €16.92

-27.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.17 €1.93

6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.91 €1.70

-15.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.38 €1.23

243.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.20 €1.96

-24.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.10 €0.98

238.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.13 €1.00

215.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.10 €0.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.83 €0.74

207.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.60 €4.99

-11.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.19 €9.08

96.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.18 €1.95

27.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.45 €2.18

44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.38 €1.23

-13.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$30.87 €27.52

133.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$4.37 €3.90

-48.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.04 €0.93

49.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$17.11 €15.26

-48.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.31 €2.06

-32.03%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.0K €24.9K

-22.08%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.0K €25.0K

23.64%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$210 €187

-55.45%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$26.70 €23.80

31.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.13 €26.86

70.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$54.6 €48.68

30.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$26.03 €23.21

36.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$10.78 €9.61

-27.27%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$575 €513

-14.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$13.1K €11.7K

-9.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$93.2 €83.1

-42.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$40.68 €36.27

37.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$104 €92.8

-23.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$128 €114

-38.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$756 €674

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$652 €582

19.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,294 €1,153

198.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,163 €1,037

21.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,008 €3,574

73.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,452 €3,078

-65.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,243 €1,109

-29.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.48

92.41%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Athens

$652 36.5% 16.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Athens

$315 17.6% 10% $35

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Athens

$269 15% 28.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Athens

$267 14.9% 48.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Athens

$165 9.2% 36.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Athens

$76 4.3% 12.5% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 47.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $66.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $315, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Nosara Athens 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
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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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Athens. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,806 in Athens – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.