Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Garliava

For one person, living is cheaper in Garliava: $1,296 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Garliava
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Garliava Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Garliava

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,296

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Garliava

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,296 in Garliava.

Nosara $1,839
Garliava $1,296

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,993 in Garliava.

Nosara $2,828
Garliava $1,993

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,689 in Garliava.

Nosara $3,818
Garliava $2,689

Living in Nosara is roughly 42% more expensive than in Garliava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Garliava is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.71 €10.42

5.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$50.1 €44.60

22.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.76 €6.02

11.24%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.17 €2.82

39.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.78 €2.47

-37.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.85 €1.65

-29.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.11 €4.55

-35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.50 €4.00

-0.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.54 €1.37

1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.71 €1.52

76.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.23 €1.99

12.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.84 €2.53

25.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.85 €8.77

-24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.22 €7.31

27.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.88 €8.79

41.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.64 €1.46

43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.55 €1.38

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.14 €1.90

124.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.35 €2.98

-51.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.73 €0.65

420.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.88 €0.78

319.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.84 €1.64

-38.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.84 €0.75

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.84 €5.19

-11.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.14 €9.02

96.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.73 €1.54

67.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.66 €1.48

118.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.16 €1.03

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$32.61 €29.00

122.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.09 €0.97

96.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.86 €0.76

82.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.10 €11.66

-34.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.80 €1.60

-15.56%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.5K €24.5K

-21.44%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.9K €25.7K

19.44%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$194 €173

-50.47%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.07 €13.40

138.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$13.96 €12.42

283.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$39.21 €34.87

82.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$21.93 €19.51

59.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.75 €7.78

-9.83%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$472 €420

4.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,710 €7,748

36.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$84.8 €75.4

-36.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.14 €35.70

38.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.5 €71.6

-3.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$162 €144

-50.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$535 €476

47.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$353 €314

124.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$813 €723

384.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$632 €562

124.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,116 €2,772

121.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,824 €1,622

-32.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,344 €1,195

-35.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.97

117.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Garliava: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Garliava

$353 27.3% 55.5% $441

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Garliava

$250 19.3% 29.2% $103

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Garliava

$205 15.8% 3.2% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Garliava

$223 17.2% 20.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Garliava

$165 12.8% 37.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Garliava

$57 4.4% 35.1% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Garliava

$43 3.3% 51.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $535 in Garliava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Garliava pays 56% 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 $50.0 in Garliava for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $250 per month, with Garliava cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇹 Garliava

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,264

💱 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 Garliava 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Garliava

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 Garliava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Garliava is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Garliava. 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 $535 in Garliava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Garliava runs roughly 123% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $472 in Garliava. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,296 in Garliava versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Garliava but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Garliava the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Garliava 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 Garliava 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 Garliava gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.