Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Baabda

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
Learn more

Baabda Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Baabda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,008 in Baabda.

Nosara $1,839
Baabda $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,611 in Baabda.

Nosara $2,828
Baabda $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,213 in Baabda.

Nosara $3,818
Baabda $2,213

Living in Nosara is roughly 82% more expensive than in Baabda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Baabda is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-10.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-25.40%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

-4.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

-27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

54.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

-6.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

-20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

231.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

7.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

-2.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

-32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

0.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

-6.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

-22.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

184.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

6.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

201.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

130.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

-5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

264.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

71.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

78.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

126.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

46.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

-56.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

-31.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

-61.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-59.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

5.70%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$236 LBP 21.2M

-59.27%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

60.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

41.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-21.73%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$686 LBP 61.4M

-27.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

11.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

-21.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

10.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$139 LBP 12.4M

-43.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$118 LBP 10.6M

-32.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Baabda

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Baabda

$277 27.5% 21.3% $75

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Baabda

$228 22.7% 7.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Baabda

$297 29.4% 59.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Baabda

$169 16.8% 41.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Baabda

$20 * 2% 76.9% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Baabda

$16 * 1.6% 81.1% $71

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 $68.0 in Baabda. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $277, with Baabda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇧 Baabda

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

20:19 8:19 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

9,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Baabda 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Baabda

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 Baabda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Baabda differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,008 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,512 in Baabda 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 $686 in Baabda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda 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 Baabda 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 Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.