Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gharb

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Gharb: $1,839 and $1,927 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Gharb
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Gharb Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Gharb

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gharb

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,927 in Gharb, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Gharb $1,927

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,165 in Gharb, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Gharb $3,165

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,404 in Gharb, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Gharb $4,404

Nosara is about 5% cheaper than Gharb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Gharb sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Gharb by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.12 €19.68

-44.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$89.7 €79.8

-31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.48 €11.99

-44.21%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.10 €2.76

42.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.40 €2.14

-27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.00 €1.78

-34.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.70 €5.07

-42.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.89 €6.13

-35.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.37 €1.22

13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.44 €1.28

109.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.52 €3.13

-28.69%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.38 €3.89

-18.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.48 €9.32

-29.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.01 €10.69

-12.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.12 €16.12

-22.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.69 €3.28

-36.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.78 €2.48

-42.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.85 €3.42

24.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.79 €3.37

-57.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.87 €1.66

103.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.28 €2.92

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.18 €1.94

-48.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.53 €1.36

73.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.29 €5.59

-17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.09 €5.41

226.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.47 €2.20

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.37 €2.11

53.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.17 €1.93

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.87 €3.45

-44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.74 €1.55

-9.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$32.91 €29.27

-74.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.54 €1.37

-1.30%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.4K €25.3K

-23.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.0K €34.7K

-11.47%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$153 €136

-37.20%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$30.62 €27.24

17.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.95 €25.75

85.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$53.0 €47.10

35.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.36 €10.11

-30.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$275 €245

79.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.2K €10.8K

-2.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.6 €50.4

-4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$67.6 €60.1

-18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 €101

-31.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$128 €114

-37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,167 €1,038

-32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$794 €706

0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,755 €1,561

124.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,698 €1,511

-16.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,413 €3,036

102.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,868 €2,551

-57.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.05

112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gharb: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Gharb

$794 41.2% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Gharb

$344 17.8% 2.5% $8.7

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Gharb

$315 16.3% 48.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Gharb

$213 11.1% 14.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Gharb

$165 8.5% 37.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Gharb

$76 3.9% 13.4% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Gharb

$21 * 1.1% 75.6% $66

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 $1,167 in Gharb. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $90.0 in Gharb. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $344 in Gharb – so Gharb wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Gharb

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

15:06 3:06 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,500

💱 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 Gharb 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gharb

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 Gharb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gharb costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,890 in Gharb. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, 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 $1,927 in Gharb. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $275 in Gharb. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Gharb at $1,927. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gharb it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $1,927 in Gharb. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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