Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,963 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Balzan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Balzan

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,963 in Balzan, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Balzan $1,963

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,917 in Balzan, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Balzan $2,917

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,871 in Balzan, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Balzan $3,871

Nosara is about 6% cheaper than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Balzan sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Balzan by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$19.07 €17.02

-35.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$91.5 €81.7

-34.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$12.43 €11.09

-39.34%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.22 €2.87

33.85%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.02 €1.80

-14.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.01 €0.90

33.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.38 €3.02

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.51 €2.24

78.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.28 €1.14

22.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.00 €0.89

217.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.63 €3.24

-33.33%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.26 €3.81

-16.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.45 €9.33

-28.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.05 €8.08

15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.43 €11.09

9.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.67 €2.39

-13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.98 €1.77

-18.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.80 €1.61

163.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.17 €1.05

41.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.88 €0.79

322.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.87 €0.77

310.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.83 €0.74

32.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.02 €0.91

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$6.23 €5.56

-20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.90 €5.27

239.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.05 €0.94

165.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.51 €1.35

133.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$3.19 €2.84

-62.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.30 €2.05

-2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.78 €1.59

-12.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$32.65 €29.14

-72.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.50 €1.34

4.67%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.7K €25.6K

-24.03%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.8K €29.3K

5.67%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$158 €141

-40.77%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$20.27 €18.09

73.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$29.53 €26.36

74.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$62.4 €55.7

14.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$11.75 €10.49

-33.28%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$279 €249

75.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$12.4K €11.1K

-4.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$76.4 €68.2

-29.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$63.3 €56.4

-11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$113 €101

-30.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$133 €119

-40.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,170 €1,044

-32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$949 €847

-17.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,804 €1,610

113.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,504 €1,342

-6.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,953 €3,527

76.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,826 €2,522

-57.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,019 €909

-13.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.05

112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Balzan

$949 48.7% 21.7% $169

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Balzan

$247 12.7% 29.5% $103

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Balzan

$263 13.5% 25.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Balzan

$208 10.7% 15.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Balzan

$174 8.9% 44.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Balzan

$86 4.4% 1.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Balzan

$24 * 1.2% 72.4% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,170 in Balzan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Balzan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $92.0 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $247 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

4,700

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Balzan 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Balzan

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 Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,963 in Balzan – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,944 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $92.0 in Balzan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 42% cheaper in Balzan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Balzan at $1,963. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Balzan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $1,963 in Balzan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Balzan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.