Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kaštela

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaštela: $1,423 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Kaštela
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Kaštela Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kaštela

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kaštela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,423 in Kaštela.

Nosara $1,839
Kaštela $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,212 in Kaštela.

Nosara $2,828
Kaštela $2,212

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,001 in Kaštela.

Nosara $3,818
Kaštela $3,001

Living in Nosara is roughly 29% more expensive than in Kaštela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Kaštela 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$16.95 €15.11

-27.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$76.9 €68.5

-20.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$9.11 €8.12

-17.45%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$2.82 €2.51

56.38%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$3.94 €3.52

-55.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$2.82 €2.51

-53.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$4.67 €4.17

-29.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$4.83 €4.30

-7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.30 €1.16

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.64 €1.46

84.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$3.11 €2.77

-19.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$4.03 €3.59

-11.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$14.01 €12.49

-46.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$9.21 €8.22

14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$12.07 €10.77

15.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.89 €1.69

24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.64 €1.46

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$2.07 €1.84

131.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.79 €2.49

-42.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$2.03 €1.81

87.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$2.06 €1.83

79.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.32 €1.17

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.36 €1.21

95.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$5.76 €5.13

-10.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$7.95 €7.09

150.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.41 €1.26

105.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$1.42 €1.27

155.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$2.29 €2.04

-51.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$51.8 €46.16

40.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$3.67 €3.27

-41.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$2.04 €1.82

-23.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$29.38 €26.19

-71.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.86 €1.66

-18.28%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.2K €23.3K

-17.44%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.0K €22.3K

38.23%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$182 €162

-47.14%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.30 €22.56

41.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$41.81 €37.28

28.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$56.9 €50.7

25.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.83 €12.33

152.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$8.73 €7.78

-9.62%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$423 €377

16.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,737 €6,006

76.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$93.0 €82.9

-41.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$27.57 €24.58

100.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$104 €92.7

-25.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$97.8 €87.2

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$480 €428

64.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$341 €304

132.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$586 €523

571.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$533 €475

166.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,241 €2,889

113.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$2,381 €2,123

-48.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$870 €776

-0.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.72

131.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kaštela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kaštela

$341 24% 57% $453

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kaštela

$281 19.8% 20.2% $71

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kaštela

$257 18.1% 21.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kaštela

$249 17.5% 34.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kaštela

$145 10.2% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kaštela

$74 5.2% 14.9% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kaštela

$75 5.3% 14.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $480 in Kaštela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaštela pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $77.0 in Kaštela. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $281, with Kaštela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇭🇷 Kaštela

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

12:50 12:50 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

37,794

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Kaštela 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kaštela

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 Kaštela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kaštela differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,423 including rent). Kaštela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Kaštela. 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 $480 in Kaštela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kaštela runs roughly 40% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $423 in Kaštela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,423 in Kaštela versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaštela but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kaštela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kaštela 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 Kaštela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.