Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $1,003 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bishkek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,003 in Bishkek.

Nosara $1,837
Bishkek $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,502 in Bishkek.

Nosara $2,775
Bishkek $1,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,000 in Bishkek.

Nosara $3,712
Bishkek $2,000

Living in Nosara is roughly 83% more expensive than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Bishkek is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.66 KGS 582

83.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$28.85 KGS 2,522

108.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.67 KGS 495

32.98%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.47 KGS 216

74.49%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.77 KGS 67.4

123.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.40 KGS 35.16

237.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.40 KGS 122

131.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.98 KGS 173

126.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.03 KGS 89.9

52.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.39 KGS 33.98

712.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.73 KGS 151

39.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.71 KGS 150

108.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.62 KGS 667

-2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.47 KGS 390

133.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$8.88 KGS 776

53.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.41 KGS 123

64.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.90 KGS 166

-15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.01 KGS 176

135.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.57 KGS 137

5.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.62 KGS 54.4

500.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.48 KGS 41.95

643.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.75 KGS 65.6

46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.61 KGS 53.0

318.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.07 KGS 181

139.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.06 KGS 792

120.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.43 KGS 125

95.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.03 KGS 177

73.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.22 KGS 19.15

440.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$11.84 KGS 1,035

508.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.83 KGS 72.7

169.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.47 KGS 41.09

229.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.64 KGS 493

57.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.94 KGS 82.6

67.02%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$30.4K KGS 2.7M

-28.34%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

3.15%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$49.60 KGS 4,336

88.41%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$5.87 KGS 513

498.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$11.90 KGS 1,040

332.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$54.8 KGS 4,787

30.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$14.89 KGS 1,301

138.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.62 KGS 491

39.50%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$216 KGS 18.9K

126.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$7,991 KGS 698.5K

48.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$55.0 KGS 4,811

-2.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$42.42 KGS 3,709

31.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$89.8 KGS 7,849

-11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$91.1 KGS 7,959

-13.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$598 KGS 52.3K

31.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$418 KGS 36.5K

86.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,013 KGS 88.6K

281.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$723 KGS 63.2K

94.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,808 KGS 158.0K

285.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,209 KGS 105.7K

-0.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$506 KGS 44.2K

73.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

20.1

-57.11%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Bishkek

$418 42.4% 46.4% $362

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Bishkek

$177 17.9% 49.5% $173

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Bishkek

$116 11.7% 44.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Bishkek

$67 6.8% 62.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Bishkek

$125 12.7% 4.1% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bishkek

$66 6.7% 24.2% $21

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bishkek

$16 1.6% 81.7% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $598 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 73% 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 $29.00 in Bishkek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $177 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

19:01 7:01 PM

12 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,012,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 87.42 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.96 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bishkek 13,810 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bishkek

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 Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bishkek is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 73% 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 $598 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $216 in Bishkek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 98% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,003 in Bishkek versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bishkek but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bishkek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bishkek 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 Bishkek 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 Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.