Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Karaganda

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $926 in Karaganda, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Karaganda $926

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,492 in Karaganda, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Karaganda $1,492

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,058 in Karaganda, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Karaganda $2,058

Nosara costs about 99% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Karaganda is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$9.85 ₸4,452

25.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$35.09 ₸15.9K

74.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.43 ₸2,453

38.49%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.92 ₸869

129.69%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.91 ₸413

91.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.64 ₸290

104.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.36 ₸617

141.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.80 ₸1,267

59.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 ₸605

16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.49 ₸222

516.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.32 ₸597

90.15%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.79 ₸808

99.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.12 ₸5,929

-43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.40 ₸2,442

94.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.19 ₸5,060

24.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.49 ₸673

57.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.89 ₸856

-14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.87 ₸1,299

67.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.17 ₸979

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.67 ₸301

467.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.59 ₸267

525.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.03 ₸467

9.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.69 ₸310

285.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.25 ₸1,016

130.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.43 ₸3,813

135.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.35 ₸610

114.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.12 ₸957

71.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.21 ₸94.9

433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$15.75 ₸7,119

361.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.26 ₸568

69.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.20 ₸541

30.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$3.31 ₸1,496

157.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.56 ₸254

171.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.0K ₸10.0M

-2.00%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.9K ₸14.4M

8.05%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$72.2 ₸32.7K

33.29%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.01 ₸4,523

258.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$11.86 ₸5,360

351.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.00 ₸20.8K

55.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$18.82 ₸8,505

85.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.34 ₸2,416

47.75%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$135 ₸60.8K

267.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$58.9 ₸26.6K

-8.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$57.8 ₸26.1K

-4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.1 ₸35.8K

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$85.6 ₸38.7K

-7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$394 ₸178.2K

99.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$273 ₸123.2K

191.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$738 ₸333.5K

433.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$536 ₸242.3K

164.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,053 ₸476.1K

556.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$711 ₸321.5K

72.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$569 ₸257.3K

51.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

19.25

-55.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Karaganda

$273 29.5% 65.7% $522

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Karaganda

$215 23.2% 38.9% $137

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Karaganda

$137 14.8% 35.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 49.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 5.4% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Karaganda

$57 6.1% 35.1% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 72.6% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $394 in Karaganda. 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 52% 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 $35.00 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $215 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

10:06 10:06 AM

12 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

520,486

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Karaganda 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $926 in Karaganda – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,389 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 361% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $135 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Karaganda 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 $926 in Karaganda to $1,839 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 Karaganda. 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.