Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bel Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $590 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air
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Bel Air Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bel Air

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bel Air

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $590 in Bel Air.

Nosara $1,839
Bel Air $590

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $995 in Bel Air.

Nosara $2,828
Bel Air $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,400 in Bel Air.

Nosara $3,818
Bel Air $1,400

Living in Nosara is roughly 212% more expensive than in Bel Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bel Air is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.67 MUR 267

117.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$37.95 MUR 1,786

61.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.19 MUR 338

4.59%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.03 MUR 48.47

328.16%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.07 MUR 50.2

62.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.59 MUR 27.62

122.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.62 MUR 76.1

102.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.13 MUR 148

42.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.62 MUR 76.1

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.78 MUR 36.67

287.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.15 MUR 54.1

118.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.54 MUR 120

40.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.29 MUR 249

40.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.30 MUR 296

66.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.14 MUR 525

25.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.75 MUR 130

-14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.61 MUR 123

-38.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.38 MUR 65.1

247.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.02 MUR 142

-46.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.00 MUR 46.93

280.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.93 MUR 43.84

296.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.69 MUR 32.37

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.90 MUR 42.48

195.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.25 MUR 294

-17.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.37 MUR 394

137.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.60 MUR 75.5

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.27 MUR 107

59.91%

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

$4.32 MUR 204

-50.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.13 MUR 147

-49.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$21.19 MUR 998

-59.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.35 MUR 63.6

12.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.8K MUR 1.7M

-39.58%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

12.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$45.32 MUR 2,134

112.47%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.72 MUR 505

234.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.55 MUR 1,344

87.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.40 MUR 301

23.28%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$128 MUR 6,039

285.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,491 MUR 352.7K

58.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$77.1 MUR 3,629

-30.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-23.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$118 MUR 5,568

-34.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$76.6 MUR 3,604

4.00%

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

6.67

29.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bel Air: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bel Air

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bel Air

$217 36.9% 38.3% $135

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bel Air

$100 17% 52.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bel Air

$85 14.3% 54.5% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bel Air

$155 26.3% 29% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bel Air

$13 * 2.2% 85.3% $75

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bel Air

$20 * 3.4% 77.1% $67

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 $38.00 in Bel Air for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $217 per month, with Bel Air cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇺 Bel Air

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

10 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,600

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bel Air 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bel Air

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 Bel Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 212% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $885 in Bel Air 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $590 in Bel Air – a 212% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $590 in Bel Air versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bel Air but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Air the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bel Air delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $590 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bel Air hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bel Air 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 Bel Air gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.