Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Gulbene: $1,289 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Gulbene
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Gulbene Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gulbene

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,289 in Gulbene, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Gulbene $1,289

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,973 in Gulbene, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Gulbene $1,973

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,657 in Gulbene, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Gulbene $2,657

Nosara costs about 42% more than Gulbene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Gulbene is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$16.73 €14.88

-26.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$68.5 €60.9

-10.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.45 €8.41

-17.88%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.82 €3.40

16.23%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.59 €1.41

12.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.20 €1.07

7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$5.57 €4.95

-41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.18 €4.61

-14.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.19 €1.06

30.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.50 €1.33

105.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.54 €2.26

-0.39%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.72 €3.30

-7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.70 €9.52

-31.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$8.74 €7.77

17.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$13.98 €12.43

0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.09 €1.86

9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.77 €1.57

-7.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.56 €2.27

87.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.25 €2.89

-49.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.88 €0.79

337.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.95 €0.84

294.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.77 €1.57

-38.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.98 €0.87

164.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$6.53 €5.81

-21.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.02 €7.14

148.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.01 €1.79

39.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.02 €1.79

74.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.41 €3.03

-36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.99 €0.88

57.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$17.96 €15.97

-51.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.12 €1.89

-26.89%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.3K €24.3K

26.50%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$29.7K €26.4K

30.38%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$368 €328

-74.27%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$19.94 €17.74

81.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$19.84 €17.65

167.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.06 €9.83

-28.48%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$674 €599

-27.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.4K €16.4K

-35.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$70.2 €62.4

-21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$51.0 €45.33

9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$86.2 €76.7

-6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$136 €121

-42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$190 €169

321.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$168 €149

370.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$352 €313

1038.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$332 €295

324.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$681 €605

937.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$568 €505

117.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.77

80.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Gulbene

$168 13% 78.7% $622

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Gulbene

$271 21% 22.6% $79

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Gulbene

$257 20% 21% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Gulbene

$408 31.7% 122% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Gulbene

$155 12% 27.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 75.3% $68

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Gulbene

$8.3 * 0.7% 90.6% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $190 in Gulbene. 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 $69.0 in Gulbene. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $271 in Gulbene – so Gulbene wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

23:23 11:23 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,500

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Gulbene 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,289 in Gulbene – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,934 in Gulbene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gulbene, 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 $1,835 in Nosara and $1,289 in Gulbene. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $674 in Gulbene. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gulbene, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Gulbene it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Gulbene to $1,835 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Gulbene. 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.