Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,609 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Heraklion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,609 in Heraklion.

Nosara $1,837
Heraklion $1,609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,492 in Heraklion.

Nosara $2,775
Heraklion $2,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,374 in Heraklion.

Nosara $3,712
Heraklion $3,374

Living in Nosara is roughly 14% more expensive than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Heraklion 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$13.02 €11.62

-6.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$56.5 €50.4

6.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.03 €8.96

-24.83%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.80 €3.39

13.42%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.43 €2.17

-29.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.76 €0.68

77.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.62 €5.02

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$5.48 €4.89

-18.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.79 €1.60

-12.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.47 €1.32

115.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.73 €2.43

-11.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.38 €3.91

-18.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$15.75 €14.06

-52.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$10.42 €9.30

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$15.23 €13.59

-10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.23 €1.99

4.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.08 €1.86

-22.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.34 €1.20

253.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.76 €1.57

-5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.18 €1.05

215.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.22 €1.09

192.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.94 €0.84

17.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.71 €0.63

259.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.12 €4.57

-3.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.80 €6.96

156.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.27 €2.03

22.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.88 €2.57

22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.47 €1.31

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$67.0 €59.8

7.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$4.51 €4.02

-50.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.13 €1.01

37.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.08 €9.89

-20.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.24 €2.00

-29.91%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.0K €25.0K

-22.03%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.0K €21.5K

44.07%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$195 €174

-52.09%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$30.21 €26.96

16.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$37.66 €33.61

36.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$49.93 €44.56

43.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$39.72 €35.44

-10.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.05 €8.07

-13.37%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$410 €366

19.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,089 €3,649

190.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$89.0 €79.4

-39.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$42.78 €38.18

30.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$82.6 €73.7

-4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$136 €122

-42.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$652 €582

20.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$505 €450

54.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,105 €986

249.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,005 €897

39.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,070 €3,632

71.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,799 €2,498

-57.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,111 €992

-21.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.44

94.14%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Heraklion

$505 31.5% 35.3% $275

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Heraklion

$295 18.4% 15.6% $55

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Heraklion

$232 14.5% 10.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Heraklion

$263 16.4% 46% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Heraklion

$158 9.8% 31.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Heraklion

$68 4.2% 21.9% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 4.4% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $652 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heraklion pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $56.0 in Heraklion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $295 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

140,730

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Heraklion 11,190 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Heraklion

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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Heraklion. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $652 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $410 in Heraklion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,609 in Heraklion versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Heraklion 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 Heraklion 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 Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.