Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $481 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kathmandu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $481 in Kathmandu.

Nosara $1,837
Kathmandu $481

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $767 in Kathmandu.

Nosara $2,775
Kathmandu $767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,052 in Kathmandu.

Nosara $3,712
Kathmandu $1,052

Living in Nosara is roughly 282% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Kathmandu is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$1.94 NPR 300

529.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$20.45 NPR 3,166

194.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.71 NPR 1,194

-2.20%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.51 NPR 233

185.43%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.49 NPR 76.5

251.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.16 NPR 24.27

743.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.04 NPR 471

6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.27 NPR 507

37.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.76 NPR 118

106.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.62 NPR 96.4

411.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.85 NPR 131

184.71%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.65 NPR 255

116.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.15 NPR 1,107

3.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.18 NPR 492

227.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$5.93 NPR 917

130.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.02 NPR 313

14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.16 NPR 179

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.43 NPR 222

231.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.53 NPR 82.5

213.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.38 NPR 59.1

878.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.53 NPR 82.6

573.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.45 NPR 69.6

144.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.22 NPR 33.95

1059.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.48 NPR 385

99.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.83 NPR 1,212

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.29 NPR 355

21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.08 NPR 476

14.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.17 NPR 26.31

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$9.64 NPR 1,493

647.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.84 NPR 285

21.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.18 NPR 183

31.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.18 NPR 492

178.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.33 NPR 207

18.05%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.7K NPR 4.4M

-23.96%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$36.0K NPR 5.6M

-3.83%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$31.63 NPR 4,896

195.45%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$3.48 NPR 538

908.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$8.94 NPR 1,385

475.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$21.47 NPR 3,324

232.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$6.71 NPR 1,039

428.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.00 NPR 465

161.33%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$66.8 NPR 10.3K

632.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,541 NPR 857.7K

114.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$24.59 NPR 3,807

117.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$26.39 NPR 4,085

111.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$63.1 NPR 9,764

25.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$28.31 NPR 4,382

178.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$216 NPR 33.5K

263.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$101 NPR 15.6K

673.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$430 NPR 66.5K

798.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$198 NPR 30.6K

611.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,248 NPR 348.0K

210.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,338 NPR 207.2K

-10.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$264 NPR 40.9K

231.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.72

-11.32%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kathmandu

$101 21% 87.1% $679

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kathmandu

$144 30.1% 58.7% $205

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kathmandu

$81 16.9% 61.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kathmandu

$44 9.2% 75.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kathmandu

$64 13.4% 46.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kathmandu

$27 5.7% 68.4% $60

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kathmandu

$18 3.8% 79.2% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $216 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 231% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $20.00 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $144 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

12:56 12:56 PM

11 h 45 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 155 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD). 1 EUR = 174 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Kathmandu 15,710 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kathmandu

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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 282% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 231% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $216 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $481 in Kathmandu – a 282% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $481 in Kathmandu versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kathmandu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $481 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kathmandu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.