Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and El Gouna

For one person, living is cheaper in El Gouna: $457 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in El Gouna
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El Gouna Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

El Gouna

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in El Gouna

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $457 in El Gouna, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
El Gouna $457

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $730 in El Gouna, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
El Gouna $730

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,002 in El Gouna, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
El Gouna $1,002

Nosara costs about 302% more than El Gouna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while El Gouna is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.59 E£189

240.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$15.95 E£838

277.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.64 E£243

62.50%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.49 E£78.3

189.26%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.29 E£15.05

493.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.10 E£5.24

1250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.21 E£63.5

167.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.91 E£153

53.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.87 E£45.55

80.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.59 E£30.82

437.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.71 E£37.06

240.85%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.39 E£72.8

156.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$3.37 E£177

120.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.23 E£222

146.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$8.53 E£448

60.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.47 E£77.1

57.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.57 E£30.10

182.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.43 E£22.44

1002.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.40 E£20.90

315.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.37 E£19.54

905.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.41 E£21.40

770.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.24 E£12.64

358.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.21 E£11.22

1114.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.96 E£103

152.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.48 E£340

208.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.26 E£66.0

121.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.88 E£98.5

87.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.17 E£8.97

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.39 E£20.43

474.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.29 E£15.22

434.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.00 E£105

343.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.33 E£17.55

375.76%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$35.9K E£1.9M

-39.19%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.7K E£1.7M

6.08%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$11.82 E£621

690.61%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$6.88 E£362

410.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$11.01 E£578

367.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$20.42 E£1,072

249.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$2.98 E£157

163.09%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$89.3 E£4,689

448.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,820 E£95.6K

552.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$27.68 E£1,454

93.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$44.99 E£2,364

23.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$109 E£5,699

-26.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$49.98 E£2,625

57.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$190 E£9,985

313.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$100 E£5,279

676.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$271 E£14.3K

1321.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$153 E£8,046

818.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$795 E£41.8K

776.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$488 E£25.6K

146.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.67

-48.29%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for El Gouna: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

El Gouna

$100 21.9% 87.1% $679

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

El Gouna

$123 26.7% 64.9% $227

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

El Gouna

$74 16.1% 64.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

El Gouna

$30 6.5% 83.5% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

El Gouna

$104 22.6% 13.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

El Gouna

$26 5.7% 69.7% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

El Gouna

$2.5 * 0.6% 97.1% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $190 in El Gouna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $16.00 in El Gouna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $123 – making El Gouna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇬 El Gouna

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 EGP = 1.9 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 52.53 EGP (100 EGP = 1.9 USD). 1 EUR = 58.87 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara El Gouna 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
El Gouna

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 El Gouna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 302%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $686 in El Gouna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $16.00 in El Gouna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 185% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in El Gouna, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Nosara at $1,837. In El Gouna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Gouna – 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 El Gouna. 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.