Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Iglesias

For one person, living is cheaper in Iglesias: $1,563 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Iglesias
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Iglesias Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Iglesias

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Iglesias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,563 in Iglesias.

Nosara $1,839
Iglesias $1,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,439 in Iglesias.

Nosara $2,828
Iglesias $2,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,316 in Iglesias.

Nosara $3,818
Iglesias $3,316

Living in Nosara is roughly 18% more expensive than in Iglesias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Iglesias 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$21.87 €19.46

-43.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$67.0 €59.6

-8.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.99 €9.78

-31.57%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.92 €1.71

129.69%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.77 €2.46

-37.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.09 €0.97

20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.53 €4.92

-40.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.11 €4.55

-12.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.11 €0.99

40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.10 €0.98

174.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.71 €1.52

46.78%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.39 €3.01

5.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$16.91 €15.04

-56.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.34 €6.53

43.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.44 €6.62

87.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.61 €2.32

-9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.78 €1.58

-9.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.24 €1.99

114.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.68 €1.50

-4.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.96 €1.74

93.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.22 €1.97

66.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.48 €1.31

-23.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.52 €0.47

411.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.33 €5.63

-18.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.07 €4.51

292.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.64 €1.46

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.82 €1.61

99.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.66 €1.47

-32.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$36.33 €32.32

99.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$9.50 €8.45

-77.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.50 €1.33

4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$31.17 €27.73

-72.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.90 €1.69

-20.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.2K €29.6K

-35.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.9K €31.9K

-3.76%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$158 €140

-38.88%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.75 €7.78

310.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.46 €26.21

81.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$49.85 €44.34

43.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$27.18 €24.18

28.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.92 €7.93

-11.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$531 €472

-6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,070 €7,178

46.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$95.0 €84.5

-43.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$42.76 €38.04

29.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$93.7 €83.4

-16.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$116 €103

-31.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$712 €633

10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$561 €499

41.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,170 €1,040

236.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,002 €892

41.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,712 €2,412

154.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,767 €1,572

-30.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.27

163.61%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iglesias: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Iglesias

$561 35.9% 29.4% $234

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Iglesias

$238 15.2% 32.5% $114

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Iglesias

$284 18.2% 34.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Iglesias

$196 12.5% 5.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Iglesias

$156 10% 30.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Iglesias

$68 4.3% 22.5% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Iglesias

$60 3.8% 31.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $712 in Iglesias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $67.0 in Iglesias. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $238, with Iglesias cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇹 Iglesias

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

05:34 5:34 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

28,170

💱 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

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Between locations

Nosara Iglesias 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Iglesias

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 Iglesias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Iglesias differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,563 including rent). Iglesias is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $2,344 in Iglesias to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $712 in Iglesias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Iglesias – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,563 in Iglesias versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iglesias but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Iglesias the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Iglesias 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 Iglesias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.