Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ilion

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilion: $1,539 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Ilion
Learn more

Ilion Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ilion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ilion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,539 in Ilion.

Nosara $1,839
Ilion $1,539

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,422 in Ilion.

Nosara $2,828
Ilion $2,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,306 in Ilion.

Nosara $3,818
Ilion $3,306

Living in Nosara is roughly 19% more expensive than in Ilion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Ilion 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$13.33 €11.84

-7.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$57.6 €51.1

6.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$8.85 €7.86

-15.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$4.18 €3.71

5.50%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$2.40 €2.13

-27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.58 €0.52

125.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$5.55 €4.93

-40.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$5.48 €4.87

-18.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.55 €1.38

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.38 €1.23

118.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.71 €2.40

-7.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$5.22 €4.63

-31.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$12.29 €10.91

-39.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$10.49 €9.32

0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$18.60 €16.52

-24.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.12 €1.88

10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.97 €1.75

-18.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$1.37 €1.22

250.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.10 €1.86

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.11 €0.98

242.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.12 €0.99

229.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 €0.77

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.85 €0.75

212.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$5.22 €4.64

-0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$8.12 €7.21

144.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.64 €1.46

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$3.41 €3.03

6.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.37 €1.22

-18.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$44.37 €39.40

63.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$4.36 €3.87

-50.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$0.97 €0.86

61.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$13.68 €12.15

-37.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$2.24 €1.99

-32.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.2K €25.0K

-23.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.6K €21.8K

40.57%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$203 €180

-52.54%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.98 €23.07

38.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$28.31 €25.14

89.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$50.8 €45.10

40.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.95 €22.16

39.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$8.69 €7.72

-9.21%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$474 €421

4.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,465 €3,965

165.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$69.9 €62.1

-22.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$35.56 €31.59

55.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$103 €91.6

-24.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$106 €94.0

-24.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$588 €522

34.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$484 €430

64.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,166 €1,036

237.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$973 €864

45.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,627 €3,221

90.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$2,949 €2,619

-58.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$1,262 €1,121

-31.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.4

95.91%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ilion: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ilion

$484 31.5% 39.1% $310

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ilion

$295 19.2% 16.3% $57

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ilion

$234 15.2% 10.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ilion

$257 16.7% 38.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ilion

$141 9.2% 17.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ilion

$68 4.4% 22% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ilion

$59 3.8% 32.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $588 in Ilion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $58.0 in Ilion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $295 per month, with Ilion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Ilion

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

84,793

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ilion 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ilion

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 Ilion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Ilion differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,539 including rent). Ilion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Ilion. 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 $588 in Ilion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $474 in Ilion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,539 in Ilion versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ilion but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ilion 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 Ilion 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 Ilion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.