Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Elista

For one person, living is cheaper in Elista: $887 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Elista
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Elista Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Elista

🇷🇺 Russia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Elista

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $887 in Elista, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Elista $887

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,466 in Elista, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Elista $1,466

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,045 in Elista, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Elista $2,045

Nosara costs about 107% more than Elista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Elista is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.61 ₽552

86.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$47.59 ₽3,972

28.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.40 ₽534

17.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.71 ₽226

62.73%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.94 ₽78.2

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.62 ₽51.9

111.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.14 ₽95.4

187.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.81 ₽151

146.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.03 ₽85.8

51.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.56 ₽46.39

439.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.07 ₽89.5

134.58%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.42 ₽119

151.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.19 ₽600

3.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.56 ₽380

130.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.15 ₽931

25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.19 ₽99.4

97.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.45 ₽121

11.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.39 ₽116

245.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.55 ₽213

-36.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.75 ₽62.3

406.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.46 ₽38.79

702.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.35 ₽29.04

222.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.64 ₽53.8

315.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.75 ₽229

88.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.89 ₽742

123.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.05 ₽87.2

176.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.86 ₽156

95.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.52 ₽43.40

115.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.13 ₽178

0.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.36 ₽30.36

336.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.60 ₽300

136.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.87 ₽72.3

74.71%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.9K ₽2.2M

-16.47%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.4K ₽2.5M

13.47%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$84.4 ₽7,042

14.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$5.97 ₽498

501.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$7.91 ₽660

577.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$34.99 ₽2,921

104.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.25 ₽2,024

43.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.14 ₽345

90.58%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$369 ₽30.8K

33.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,636 ₽553.8K

78.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$81.3 ₽6,786

-33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$52.4 ₽4,374

5.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$54.2 ₽4,522

43.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$101 ₽8,468

-21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$476 ₽39.7K

65.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$313 ₽26.1K

153.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$830 ₽69.3K

374.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$642 ₽53.6K

121.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,917 ₽160.0K

260.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,588 ₽132.5K

-22.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$363 ₽30.3K

138.12%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Elista: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Elista

$313 35.3% 60.6% $481

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Elista

$176 19.8% 50.2% $177

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Elista

$120 13.6% 43.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Elista

$98 11.1% 47.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Elista

$130 14.7% 8.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Elista

$43 4.9% 50.5% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Elista

$6 * 0.7% 93.1% $81

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 $476 in Elista. 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 138% 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 $48.00 in Elista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $176 – making Elista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇺 Elista

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

103,219

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Elista 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Elista

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 Elista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 107%, 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 $1,330 in Elista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elista, 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 $61.0 in Nosara and $48.00 in Elista. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% 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 Elista, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Elista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elista – 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 Elista. 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.