Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Drama

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,192 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Drama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,192 in Drama.

Nosara $1,839
Drama $1,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,756 in Drama.

Nosara $2,828
Drama $1,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,321 in Drama.

Nosara $3,818
Drama $2,321

Living in Nosara is roughly 54% more expensive than in Drama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Drama is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.56 €12.95

-15.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$43.27 €38.49

41.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.92 €8.82

-24.19%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.67 €2.38

65.17%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.82 €2.50

-38.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.71 €0.63

84.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.41 €3.03

-3.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.39 €3.91

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.48 €1.31

5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.60 €1.43

88.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.10 €0.98

128.18%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.41 €4.81

-34.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.43 €10.16

-35.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.28 €8.26

13.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.01 €12.46

-0.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.41 €1.25

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.40 €1.25

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.11 €0.99

332.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.20 €1.96

-26.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.96 €0.86

295.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.23 €1.09

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.52 €1.36

-25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.70 €0.62

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.88 €4.34

6.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.15 €4.58

286.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.97 €0.87

198.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.92 €1.71

89.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.30 €3.82

-50.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.10 €0.98

42.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.71 €14.86

-49.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.21 €1.96

-31.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.7K €24.6K

-21.99%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.5K €28.0K

9.71%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$190 €169

-49.42%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.62 €20.12

58.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.30 €26.95

76.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$45.14 €40.15

58.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.62 €6.77

3.54%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$481 €428

2.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,165 €8,152

29.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$96.7 €86.1

-44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$22.05 €19.61

151.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$62.2 €55.3

25.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$66.7 €59.4

19.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$305 €271

158.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$300 €266

165.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$498 €443

690.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$412 €366

244.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,482 €1,318

366.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,288 €2,925

-62.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,133 €1,008

-23.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.4

95.91%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Drama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Drama

$300 25.1% 62.3% $495

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Drama

$249 20.9% 29.2% $103

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Drama

$218 18.3% 3% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Drama

$243 20.4% 31% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Drama

$111 9.4% 7.2% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Drama

$60 5.1% 30.9% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Drama

$9.8 * 0.8% 88.7% $77

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 $788 in Nosara and $305 in Drama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drama pays 31% 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 $43.00 in Drama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $249 per month, with Drama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Drama

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

42,501

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Drama 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Drama

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 Drama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Drama. 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 $305 in Drama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $481 in Drama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Drama – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,192 in Drama versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Drama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Drama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Drama 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 Drama 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 Drama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.