Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,148 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Baghdad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,148 in Baghdad.

Nosara $1,837
Baghdad $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,702 in Baghdad.

Nosara $2,775
Baghdad $1,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,256 in Baghdad.

Nosara $3,712
Baghdad $2,256

Living in Nosara is roughly 60% more expensive than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Baghdad is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.87 IQD 7,354

150.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$34.91 IQD 52.7K

72.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

0.27%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.19 IQD 4,827

35.11%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.36 IQD 548

377.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.25 IQD 379

440.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.83 IQD 5,788

-15.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.90 IQD 5,892

14.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.03 IQD 1,563

52.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.85 IQD 1,284

272.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.53 IQD 2,308

58.17%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.92 IQD 2,901

85.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$3.95 IQD 5,965

88.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.60 IQD 6,954

126.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$14.07 IQD 21.3K

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.14 IQD 1,722

103.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.09 IQD 1,647

47.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.04 IQD 1,567

355.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.74 IQD 1,125

124.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.68 IQD 1,034

447.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.64 IQD 970

457.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.66 IQD 1,003

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.68 IQD 1,020

275.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.93 IQD 2,922

156.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

47.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.13 IQD 3,219

30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.18 IQD 3,296

61.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.68 IQD 1,030

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$23.19 IQD 35.0K

210.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.25 IQD 3,402

-0.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.57 IQD 2,373

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$7.68 IQD 11.6K

15.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.68 IQD 1,030

130.88%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$19.1K IQD 28.8M

14.30%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

78.60%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$218 IQD 330.0K

-57.21%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$19.65 IQD 29.7K

78.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$42.88 IQD 64.8K

20.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$47.30 IQD 71.5K

50.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$21.47 IQD 32.4K

65.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$10.64 IQD 16.1K

-26.32%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$168 IQD 253.1K

192.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,430 IQD 5.2M

246.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$28.72 IQD 43.4K

86.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$32.11 IQD 48.5K

73.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$68.4 IQD 103.3K

15.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$49.01 IQD 74.1K

60.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$577 IQD 871.8K

36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$361 IQD 545.2K

116.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,008 IQD 1.5M

283.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$669 IQD 1.0M

110.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,647 IQD 7.0M

50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,569 IQD 2.4M

-23.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$593 IQD 895.6K

47.85%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Baghdad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Baghdad

$361 31.6% 53.7% $419

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Baghdad

$186 16.3% 46.8% $163

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Baghdad

$129 11.3% 38.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Baghdad

$281 24.6% 56% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Baghdad

$80 7% 33.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Baghdad

$69 6% 21.2% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Baghdad

$36 3.2% 58.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $577 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 48% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $35.00 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $186 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Baghdad 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Baghdad

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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $577 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 211% 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 $168 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,148 in Baghdad versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baghdad but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Baghdad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Baghdad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,148 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Baghdad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Baghdad 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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.