Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chita

For one person, living is cheaper in Chita: $1,009 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Chita
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,009
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,009 in Chita.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • Chita $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,597 in Chita.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • Chita $1,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,185 in Chita.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • Chita $2,185

Living in Nosara is roughly 82% more expensive than in Chita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$12.58 ₽1,070
-2.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$36.35 ₽3,090
65.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$6.18 ₽526
22.01%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$2.52 ₽214
71.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$1.25 ₽106
37.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$0.57 ₽48.22
136.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$1.66 ₽141
95.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$3.20 ₽272
40.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$1.09 ₽92.6
44.04%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$0.76 ₽64.9
317.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$1.53 ₽130
58.17%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$1.57 ₽134
127.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$12.45 ₽1,058
-40.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$5.19 ₽442
100.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$11.25 ₽956
21.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$1.55 ₽132
49.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$1.75 ₽149
-8.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$1.86 ₽158
154.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$2.72 ₽231
-38.97%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$0.84 ₽71.7
342.86%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$0.60 ₽51.0
495.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$1.32 ₽112
-16.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$0.79 ₽67.5
222.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$2.64 ₽224
87.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$8.32 ₽707
140.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$0.87 ₽73.9
220.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$1.99 ₽169
77.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Chita
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
$0.53 ₽44.93
124.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$2.33 ₽198
-3.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$0.32 ₽27.50
384.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$5.75 ₽489
54.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$0.89 ₽75.3
76.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$36.4K ₽3.1M
-40.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$35.4K ₽3.0M
-2.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$117 ₽9,940
-20.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$5.95 ₽506
490.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$8.28 ₽704
521.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$29.94 ₽2,546
138.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
$24.09 ₽2,048
47.11%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$5.45 ₽463
43.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$379 ₽32.3K
29.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$5,889 ₽500.6K
101.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$80.6 ₽6,852
-33.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$52.8 ₽4,485
5.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$115 ₽9,769
-31.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$114 ₽9,682
-30.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Chita
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$437 ₽37.2K
79.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$312 ₽26.5K
149.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$879 ₽74.7K
339.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$537 ₽45.6K
162.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
$2,124 ₽180.6K
228.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
$1,326 ₽112.8K
-9.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Chita
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
$419 ₽35.6K
109.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
21.33
-59.59%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chita: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
Chita
$312 60% $468
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Chita
$211 39.7% $139
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
Chita
$171 18.2% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
Chita
$131 27.2% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Chita
$163 35.4% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Chita
$41 53.1% $46
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Chita
$6.1 * 93% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $437 in Chita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 109% 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 $36.00 in Chita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $211 per month, with Chita cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇷🇺 Chita
🕒 Local time
21:42 9:42 PM
12:42 12:42 PM
15 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
333,679
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Chita 12,880 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Chita

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 Chita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Nosara and in Chita?
Nosara and Chita differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,009 including rent). Chita is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Nosara or Chita?
Average pay runs 109% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Nosara and in Chita?
Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $437 in Chita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Nosara or Chita?
All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,009 in Chita – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,009 in Chita versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chita but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Chita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Chita?
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.
Is Nosara or Chita safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Chita are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Nosara or Chita?
Expats usually find Chita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Nosara vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?