Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,477 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Kaunas
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,477
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,477 in Kaunas.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • Kaunas $1,477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,241 in Kaunas.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • Kaunas $2,241

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,005 in Kaunas.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • Kaunas $3,005

Living in Nosara is roughly 24% more expensive than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Kaunas 10% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$11.80 €10.53
3.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$68.4 €61.1
-12.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$9.90 €8.84
-23.84%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$3.46 €3.08
24.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$3.33 €2.97
-48.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$3.22 €2.87
-58.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$5.07 €4.52
-36.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$4.36 €3.89
2.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$1.57 €1.40
-
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$1.79 €1.59
77.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$2.22 €1.98
9.01%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$3.36 €3.00
6.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$14.71 €13.13
-49.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$8.13 €7.25
28.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$13.60 €12.14
0.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$1.55 €1.38
49.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$1.50 €1.34
7.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$2.17 €1.94
118.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$3.33 €2.97
-50.15%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$0.94 €0.84
295.74%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$0.98 €0.87
264.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$1.83 €1.63
-39.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$0.96 €0.86
165.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$6.14 €5.48
-19.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$10.19 €9.10
96.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$1.74 €1.55
60.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$2.11 €1.89
67.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
$1.09 €0.98
9.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
$31.96 €28.52
125.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$1.14 €1.02
96.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$0.87 €0.77
78.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$15.71 €14.02
-43.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$1.91 €1.71
-17.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$26.9K €24.0K
-18.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$28.8K €25.7K
20.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$203 €181
-53.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$16.06 €14.34
118.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$15.30 €13.65
236.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$32.92 €29.38
116.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
$28.67 €25.59
23.61%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$11.99 €10.70
-34.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$682 €609
-28.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$8,760 €7,818
35.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$85.7 €76.5
-37.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$40.43 €36.08
37.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$121 €108
-34.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$164 €146
-51.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$627 €560
25.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$438 €391
78.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$929 €829
315.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$657 €586
114.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
$3,679 €3,283
89.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
$2,386 €2,130
-49.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Kaunas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
$1,696 €1,513
-48.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
4.05
112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
Kaunas
$438 43.9% $342
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Kaunas
$280 19.8% $69
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
Kaunas
$226 7.8% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
Kaunas
$234 30% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Kaunas
$185 53.7% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Kaunas
$57 34.6% $30
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Kaunas
$42 51.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $627 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $68.0 in Kaunas. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $280, with Kaunas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇱🇹 Kaunas
🕒 Local time
00:08 12:08 AM
09:08 9:08 AM
9 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
315,993
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Kaunas 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Kaunas

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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Nosara or Kaunas?
Kaunas wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaunas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Nosara or in Kaunas?
On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Kaunas. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Nosara compared to Kaunas?
Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $627 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Nosara and in Kaunas?
Dining out is cheaper in Kaunas – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Nosara compared to Kaunas?
All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,477 in Kaunas – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Nosara or in Kaunas?
At $1,477 in Kaunas versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaunas but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kaunas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Nosara or Kaunas?
Both work as nomad bases, but Kaunas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,477 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaunas hard to pass up.
How safe is Nosara compared to Kaunas?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Kaunas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Kaunas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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