Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Imbabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbabah: $407 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Imbabah
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Imbabah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Imbabah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Imbabah

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $407 in Imbabah, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Imbabah $407

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $669 in Imbabah, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Imbabah $669

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $931 in Imbabah, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Imbabah $931

Nosara costs about 351% more than Imbabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Imbabah is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$4.27 E£228

188.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$19.31 E£1,031

217.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.88 E£261

59.02%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.30 E£69.2

241.54%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.33 E£17.37

442.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.12 E£6.47

975.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.30 E£69.2

149.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.82 E£151

57.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.59 E£31.38

162.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.20 E£10.54

1440.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.63 E£33.85

301.59%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.13 E£60.2

205.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$1.44 E£76.9

408.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.98 E£159

243.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.78 E£362

107.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.48 E£79.3

54.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.45 E£24.16

264.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.37 E£19.66

1194.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.18 E£9.82

811.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.24 E£12.79

1504.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.32 E£17.12

1071.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.10 E£5.13

990.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.17 E£9.21

1423.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.68 E£89.9

204.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$1.88 E£101

959.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.18 E£63.2

137.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.91 E£102

84.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.19 E£10.10

542.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$14.20 E£758

420.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.24 E£12.89

804.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.22 E£11.63

609.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$1.14 E£60.7

660.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.22 E£11.74

604.55%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.6K E£1.7M

9.49%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$27.0K E£1.4M

43.44%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$13.04 E£696

627.15%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$6.72 E£359

437.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$13.48 E£720

293.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$16.21 E£866

355.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$2.86 E£153

176.57%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$22.86 E£1,221

2044.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$939 E£50.1K

1165.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$15.32 E£818

257.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$19.23 E£1,027

190.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$127 E£6,798

-36.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$56.8 E£3,032

37.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$130 E£6,937

516.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$74.9 E£3,999

954.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$252 E£13.4K

1492.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$144 E£7,698

877.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$752 E£40.1K

839.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$349 E£18.6K

253.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$95.4 E£5,092

829.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

21.33

-59.59%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Imbabah: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Imbabah

$75 18.4% 90.5% $715

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Imbabah

$84 20.7% 75.9% $265

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Imbabah

$78 19.2% 63.2% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Imbabah

$33 8.2% 81.9% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Imbabah

$98 24.2% 18.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Imbabah

$22 5.4% 75.5% $68

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Imbabah

$16 4% 81.6% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $130 in Imbabah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 830% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $19.00 in Imbabah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $84.0 – making Imbabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇬 Imbabah

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

11:50 11:50 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Imbabah 11,940 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Imbabah

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 Imbabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $407 in Imbabah – roughly 351% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $611 in Imbabah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imbabah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 315% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $19.00 in Imbabah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imbabah, where all-in costs run around $407, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Imbabah 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 $407 in Imbabah 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 Imbabah. 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.