Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Birzebbuga

For one person, living is cheaper in Birzebbuga: $1,666 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Birzebbuga
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Birzebbuga Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Birzebbuga

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Birzebbuga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,666 in Birzebbuga.

Nosara $1,839
Birzebbuga $1,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,645 in Birzebbuga.

Nosara $2,828
Birzebbuga $2,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,625 in Birzebbuga.

Nosara $3,818
Birzebbuga $3,625

Living in Nosara is roughly 10% more expensive than in Birzebbuga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Birzebbuga 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.85 €13.21

-16.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$87.8 €78.1

-30.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.82 €10.51

-36.38%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.61 €2.32

68.97%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.07 €1.84

-15.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.96 €1.74

-33.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.24 €1.99

46.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.38 €3.01

32.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.24 €1.11

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.32 €1.17

128.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.12 €2.78

-19.55%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.61 €3.21

-1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.45 €7.52

-12.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.96 €8.86

5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.08 €16.08

-22.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.51 €2.23

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.96 €1.74

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.13 €2.79

53.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.91 €2.59

-44.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.57 €1.40

142.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.85 €1.65

99.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.48 €1.31

-23.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.76 €0.67

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.31 €5.61

-17.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.49 €5.78

206.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.56 €1.39

85.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.35 €2.09

54.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.44 €2.17

-54.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$14.57 €12.96

398.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.51 €4.90

-61.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.17 €1.93

-27.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.41 €23.49

-67.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.48 €1.31

2.70%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.8K €26.5K

-27.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.5K €28.9K

6.24%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$95.2 €84.6

1.20%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.84 €22.10

44.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$41.98 €37.34

27.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$55.6 €49.45

28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.03 €19.60

58.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.98 €8.88

-20.94%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$368 €328

34.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,911 €7,926

33.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$85.7 €76.2

-37.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$38.86 €34.57

42.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.9 €79.1

-12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$77.0 €68.5

3.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,184 €1,053

-33.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$756 €672

5.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,729 €1,538

127.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,336 €1,189

6.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,932 €3,498

75.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,809 €2,498

-56.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,771 €1,575

-51.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.9

197.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Birzebbuga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Birzebbuga

$756 45.4% 4.9% $39

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Birzebbuga

$282 16.9% 19.9% $70

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Birzebbuga

$220 13.2% 3.7% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Birzebbuga

$162 9.7% 12.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Birzebbuga

$131 7.8% 8.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Birzebbuga

$76 4.5% 13.5% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Birzebbuga

$41 2.4% 53.3% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,184 in Birzebbuga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birzebbuga pays 105% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $88.0 in Birzebbuga. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $282, with Birzebbuga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Birzebbuga

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

18:38 6:38 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

10,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Birzebbuga 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Birzebbuga

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 Birzebbuga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birzebbuga is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 105% lower in Birzebbuga. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $1,184 in Birzebbuga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Birzebbuga – a meal for two runs $88.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,666 in Birzebbuga – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,666 in Birzebbuga versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Birzebbuga but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Birzebbuga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Birzebbuga is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Birzebbuga 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 Birzebbuga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.