Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dahab

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dahab

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $453 in Dahab, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Dahab $453

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $755 in Dahab, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Dahab $755

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,057 in Dahab, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Dahab $1,057

Nosara costs about 306% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Dahab is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.70 E£198

233.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$13.14 E£702

365.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.64 E£248

62.07%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.58 E£84.3

179.11%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.46 E£24.50

278.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 E£14.50

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.95 E£104

68.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.34 E£125

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.97 E£52.0

60.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.12 E£60.0

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.73 E£38.75

243.84%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.35 E£72.0

164.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.63 E£568

-30.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.88 E£207

171.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.65 E£569

31.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.33 E£124

0.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.45 E£77.4

11.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.63 E£33.55

661.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.59 E£31.39

172.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.55 E£29.14

590.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.59 E£31.72

525.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.88 E£47.16

28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.20 E£10.58

1230.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.50 E£80.0

245.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.79 E£363

192.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.58 E£84.5

83.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.21 E£11.08

433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$7.56 E£404

860.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.77 E£41.30

177.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.43 E£23.13

253.49%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$17.85 E£953

439.44%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.84 E£365

424.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$17.89 E£955

199.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$15.01 E£801

376.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$9.54 E£509

265.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.80 E£257

64.38%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$187 E£9,988

321.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$129 E£6,868

517.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$529 E£28.2K

645.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$316 E£16.9K

349.71%

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

$131 E£6,973

561.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Dahab

$129 28.4% 83.8% $666

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Dahab

$169 * 37.2% 52.2% $184

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Dahab

$80 17.6% 62.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Dahab

$43 9.4% 77.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Dahab

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Dahab

$25 5.4% 71.8% $63

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Dahab

$9.2 * 2% 89.5% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $187 in Dahab. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 561% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $13.00 in Dahab. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $169 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇬 Dahab

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dahab 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dahab

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 Dahab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 306%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $680 in Dahab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dahab, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $453 in Dahab. That's a gap of about 306%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $13.00 in Dahab. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dahab – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dahab. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.