Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bilbao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,101 in Bilbao.

Nosara $1,837
Bilbao $2,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $3,137 in Bilbao.

Nosara $2,775
Bilbao $3,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $4,172 in Bilbao.

Nosara $3,712
Bilbao $4,172

Living in Nosara costs roughly 13% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Bilbao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$20.91 €18.66

-41.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$69.0 €61.6

-12.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$12.14 €10.83

-37.89%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.50 €2.23

72.40%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.91 €2.59

-40.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.73 €1.55

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.40 €3.03

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.27 €2.92

37.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.30 €1.16

20.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.58 €1.41

100.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.51 €1.35

60.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.32 €2.96

7.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.39 €12.85

-48.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.05 €7.18

29.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$13.25 €11.82

3.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.72 €2.43

-14.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.02 €1.80

-20.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.61 €2.33

81.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.38 €2.13

-30.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.52 €1.36

144.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.41 €2.15

48.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.21 €1.08

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.78 €0.70

226.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$6.83 €6.09

-27.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.78 €6.94

157.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.48 €1.32

88.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.62 €2.34

34.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.83 €1.63

-34.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$50.7 €45.25

42.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$5.63 €5.02

-60.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.99 €0.88

56.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$31.89 €28.46

-72.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.79 €1.60

-12.29%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$35.0K €31.2K

-37.73%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$30.4K €27.1K

14.01%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$142 €127

-34.37%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$20.34 €18.15

72.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.13 €26.89

70.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$55.8 €49.81

27.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$15.27 €13.62

132.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.92 €8.86

-20.97%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$538 €480

-9.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$11.5K €10.3K

3.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$89.5 €79.9

-40.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$34.39 €30.69

62.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$68.7 €61.3

15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$127 €114

-38.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,261 €1,125

-37.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,054 €941

-26.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,469 €2,203

56.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,707 €1,523

-17.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$5,875 €5,243

18.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,675 €3,280

-67.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$2,385 €2,128

-63.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.98

189.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6% 35.2% $274

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Bilbao

$271 13% 22.4% $78

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Bilbao

$276 13.2% 31.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Bilbao

$193 9.3% 7.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Bilbao

$144 6.9% 19.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bilbao

$76 3.6% 13.1% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bilbao

$69 3.3% 21% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 172% 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 $69.0 in Bilbao. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $271, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

346,096

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bilbao 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bilbao

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 Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Bilbao differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $2,101 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 172% lower in Bilbao. 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 $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $538 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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 Bilbao 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.