Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Iskenderun

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $1,000 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
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Iskenderun Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Iskenderun

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,000 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Iskenderun $1,000

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,507 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Iskenderun $1,507

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,013 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Iskenderun $2,013

Nosara costs about 84% more than Iskenderun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Iskenderun is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.10 ₺302

102.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$30.52 ₺1,511

100.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.42 ₺318

17.13%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.12 ₺154

41.35%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.14 ₺56.3

52.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.26 ₺12.80

403.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.39 ₺118

37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.70 ₺134

65.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.00 ₺49.26

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.79 ₺39.03

282.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.73 ₺85.8

45.09%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.81 ₺89.6

97.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.41 ₺367

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.04 ₺200

160.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.50 ₺867

-20.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.66 ₺82.3

41.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.87 ₺92.7

-13.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.86 ₺42.59

458.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.03 ₺50.9

56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.46 ₺22.79

726.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.40 ₺20.03

822.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 ₺43.26

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.61 ₺30.30

336.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.19 ₺108

136.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.26 ₺508

93.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.34 ₺116

23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.22 ₺159

12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.75 ₺37.14

49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.99 ₺48.87

116.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.49 ₺24.24

220.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$10.25 ₺507

-16.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.30 ₺64.5

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$43.3K ₺2.1M

-50.04%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.2K ₺1.9M

-11.94%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$91.4 ₺4,524

5.38%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.46 ₺468

279.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$10.99 ₺544

387.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$57.5 ₺2,848

24.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.00 ₺297

31.50%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$448 ₺22.2K

10.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,099 ₺351.4K

67.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.1 ₺2,679

-0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.69 ₺1,470

86.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 ₺5,641

-31.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$108 ₺5,326

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$477 ₺23.6K

65.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$340 ₺16.8K

133.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$818 ₺40.5K

381.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$553 ₺27.4K

156.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,588 ₺78.6K

335.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,026 ₺50.8K

19.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,117 ₺55.3K

-22.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-75.37%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iskenderun: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Iskenderun

$340 34% 57.2% $454

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Iskenderun

$207 20.7% 41.3% $146

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Iskenderun

$128 12.8% 39.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Iskenderun

$112 11.2% 39.8% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Iskenderun

$137 13.7% 14.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Iskenderun

$70 7% 20.4% $18

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Iskenderun

$6.4 * 0.6% 92.6% $81

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $477 in Iskenderun. 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 29% higher in Iskenderun, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $31.00 in Iskenderun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $207 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

246,639

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Iskenderun 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Iskenderun

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 Iskenderun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,501 in Iskenderun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,000 in Iskenderun. That's a gap of about 84%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $448 in Iskenderun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iskenderun, where all-in costs run around $1,000, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Iskenderun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Iskenderun. 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.