Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ismailia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $330 in Ismailia.

Nosara $1,835
Ismailia $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $561 in Ismailia.

Nosara $2,825
Ismailia $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $792 in Ismailia.

Nosara $3,814
Ismailia $792

Living in Nosara is roughly 457% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Ismailia is 76% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.30 E£176

273.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$14.58 E£778

320.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$3.76 E£201

106.38%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.04 E£55.5

326.92%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.30 E£15.91

496.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.13 E£6.85

892.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.32 E£70.6

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.80 E£96.0

146.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.79 E£42.30

96.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.36 E£19.07

755.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.60 E£32.12

321.67%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.15 E£61.5

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$3.49 E£186

109.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.98 E£213

157.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.95 E£371

102.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.45 E£77.3

57.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.54 E£29.05

203.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.41 E£22.01

1068.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.31 E£16.79

429.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.26 E£13.89

1380.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.32 E£17.12

1071.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.23 E£12.31

373.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.20 E£10.67

1195.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.86 E£99.5

175.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.48 E£293

263.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.04 E£55.4

169.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.89 E£101

86.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.23 E£12.26

430.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$3.77 E£201

1860.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.39 E£20.60

456.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.48 E£25.72

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$1.13 E£60.2

667.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.42 E£22.18

269.05%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.6K E£1.5M

24.99%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$14.6K E£780.2K

165.22%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$13.94 E£744

580.20%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$6.66 E£355

442.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$7.33 E£391

623.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$9.65 E£515

664.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$18.42 E£984

93.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$1.82 E£97.4

334.62%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$65.6 E£3,502

647.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,171 E£62.5K

914.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$12.92 E£690

324.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$9.19 E£491

508.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$127 E£6,764

-36.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$27.53 E£1,470

182.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$78.3 E£4,181

922.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$31.44 E£1,679

2411.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$120 E£6,414

3234.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$75.2 E£4,017

1773.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$458 E£24.5K

1440.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$131 E£6,984

845.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$101 E£5,387

778.83%

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 Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 96% $758

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 69.1% $242

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 70.8% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 84.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 34.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Ismailia

$13 4% 85.2% $76

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 91.6% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 779% 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 $15.00 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $108 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

02:26 2:26 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

352,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Ismailia 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 457% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 779% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $65.6 in Ismailia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 223% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Ismailia 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 Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 457% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.