Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Iskele

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Iskele: $1,839 and $1,857 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Iskele
Learn more

Iskele Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Iskele

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Iskele

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,857 in Iskele.

Nosara $1,839
Iskele $1,857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,813 in Iskele.

Nosara $2,828
Iskele $2,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,769 in Iskele.

Nosara $3,818
Iskele $3,769

Living in Nosara costs roughly 1% less than in Iskele, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Iskele 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$16.98 €15.16

-27.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$55.9 €49.91

9.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$8.71 €7.78

-13.66%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$3.62 €3.23

21.82%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.91 €1.70

-8.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$1.13 €1.01

15.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$4.27 €3.81

-23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$3.97 €3.55

12.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$2.00 €1.78

-22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.46 €1.31

106.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.32 €2.07

8.19%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$5.12 €4.57

-30.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$13.65 €12.19

-45.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$8.69 €7.76

21.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$12.45 €11.12

12.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.14 €2.80

-25.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.84 €1.65

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.11 €1.88

127.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$3.74 €3.34

-56.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.47 €1.31

158.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.17 €1.05

215.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.64 €0.57

76.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.04 €0.93

155.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$5.51 €4.92

-5.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$6.77 €6.05

193.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.74 €1.55

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.97 €1.76

84.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$2.21 €1.97

-49.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$51.2 €45.68

42.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$11.38 €10.16

-81.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.16 €1.93

-27.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$22.69 €20.26

-62.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.72 €1.54

-11.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.6K €29.1K

-33.67%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.4K €28.9K

6.69%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$186 €166

-48.11%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.75 €21.21

51.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$34.04 €30.40

57.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$68.5 €61.1

4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.38 €21.77

43.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$11.10 €9.92

-28.92%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$434 €388

13.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,777 €6,052

74.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$82.0 €73.3

-34.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$44.97 €40.16

23.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$92.7 €82.8

-15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$88.0 €78.5

-9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$1,096 €979

-28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$768 €686

3.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,790 €1,598

120.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$1,356 €1,211

4.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,983 €2,664

131.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$2,241 €2,002

-45.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$903 €806

-4.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.31

160.42%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iskele: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Iskele

$768 41.4% 3.3% $27

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Iskele

$288 15.5% 18.3% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Iskele

$247 13.3% 16.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Iskele

$243 13.1% 31% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Iskele

$138 7.5% 15.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Iskele

$91 4.9% 3.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Iskele

$82 4.4% 5.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,096 in Iskele. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 5% 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 $56.0 in Iskele for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $288 per month, with Iskele cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇾 Iskele

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

15:48 3:48 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

4,490

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Iskele 11,920 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Iskele

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 Iskele: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Iskele. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Iskele. 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 $1,096 in Iskele. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $434 in Iskele. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Iskele pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,857 in Iskele, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Iskele. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Iskele 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 1% less than in Iskele. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.