Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gzira

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,240 in Gzira, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Gzira
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Gzira Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Gzira

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gzira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,240 in Gzira.

Nosara $1,839
Gzira $2,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,299 in Gzira.

Nosara $2,828
Gzira $3,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,358 in Gzira.

Nosara $3,818
Gzira $4,358

Living in Nosara costs roughly 18% less than in Gzira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Gzira 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.08 €19.64

-44.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$71.8 €63.8

-14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.63 €12.13

-44.83%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.14 €2.79

40.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.32 €2.06

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.91 €1.70

-31.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.55 €4.05

-27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.48 €4.88

-18.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.43 €1.27

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.46 €1.30

106.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.43 €3.05

-26.82%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.43 €3.94

-19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.27 €9.14

-27.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.00 €9.78

-4.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.83 €15.86

-21.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.13 €2.79

-24.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.68 €2.39

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.39 €3.01

41.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.72 €3.31

-56.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.87 €1.67

103.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.83 €2.52

30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.52 €1.35

-25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.03 €0.91

158.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.07 €5.40

-14.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.09 €5.42

226.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.43 €2.16

19.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.20 €1.96

65.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.73 €2.43

-58.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.02 €3.58

-46.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.75 €1.56

-10.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$32.42 €28.83

-73.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.48 €1.32

2.70%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.8K €24.7K

-22.24%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.2K €34.8K

-11.83%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$137 €122

-29.67%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.54 €22.72

40.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.74 €26.46

80.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$81.7 €72.7

-12.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$28.29 €25.16

23.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.36 €10.11

-30.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$280 €249

76.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.5K €11.1K

-5.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.7 €50.4

-4.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$53.7 €47.76

3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$113 €100

-31.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$99.2 €88.2

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,390 €1,236

-43.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,146 €1,020

-30.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,081 €1,851

89.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,782 €1,586

-20.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$6,226 €5,538

11.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,453 €3,961

-72.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,418 €2,151

-64.28%

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 Gzira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Gzira

$1.1K 51.2% 44.3% $352

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Gzira

$322 14.4% 8.6% $30

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Gzira

$306 13.7% 44.4% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Gzira

$192 8.6% 3.5% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Gzira

$145 6.5% 20.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Gzira

$104 4.7% 19.5% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Gzira

$24 * 1.1% 72.8% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,390 in Gzira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gzira pays 180% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $72.0 in Gzira. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $322, with Gzira cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Gzira

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

18:32 6:32 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Gzira 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gzira

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 Gzira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 180% lower in Gzira. 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 $1,390 in Gzira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Gzira pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $2,240 in Gzira – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,240 in Gzira, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Gzira. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Gzira, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Gzira 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Gzira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.