Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Khost

For one person, living is cheaper in Khost: $406 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Khost
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Khost Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Khost

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $406 in Khost.

Nosara $1,846
Khost $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $598 in Khost.

Nosara $2,833
Khost $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $789 in Khost.

Nosara $3,820
Khost $789

Living in Nosara is roughly 355% more expensive than in Khost, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Khost is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$2.75 ؋178

349.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$7.61 ؋494

698.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$4.55 ؋295

73.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ؋153

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ؋117

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$1.12 ؋72.5

292.86%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.49 ؋31.50

251.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.16 ؋10.08

737.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$0.86 ؋55.9

90.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$0.25 ؋16.35

1164.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.81 ؋117

32.04%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.51 ؋97.8

129.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$4.47 ؋290

59.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$4.03 ؋262

156.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$6.85 ؋445

103.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$0.69 ؋44.78

231.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$0.84 ؋54.2

92.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$0.90 ؋58.2

434.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$0.54 ؋35.20

211.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$0.60 ؋39.25

551.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$0.51 ؋33.04

611.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.30 ؋19.69

276.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.40 ؋25.89

557.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ؋67.6

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$2.43 ؋158

106.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.48 ؋31.04

152.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$18.66 ؋1,212

295.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.75 ؋48.84

186.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.44 ؋28.44

270.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$2.29 ؋149

282.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.09 ؋70.9

42.20%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$8,296 ؋538.7K

308.44%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$34.1K ؋2.2M

12.83%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$42.62 ؋2,768

123.39%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$12.76 ؋829

184.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$95.8 ؋6,223

-45.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$7.80 ؋507

766.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$6.01 ؋390

491.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$2.27 ؋148

232.16%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$20.43 ؋1,327

2330.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$1,054 ؋68.5K

1016.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$10.71 ؋696

414.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$15.69 ؋1,019

257.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$58.4 ؋3,795

33.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$25.17 ؋1,635

214.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$30.85 ؋2,003

2549.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$15.63 ؋1,015

5055.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$76.5 ؋4,967

5113.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$46.93 ؋3,048

2945.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$188 ؋12.2K

373.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Khost: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Khost

$16 3.9% 98.1% $790

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Khost

$102 25.2% 70.9% $249

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Khost

$52 12.7% 75.8% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Khost

$151 37.3% 17.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Khost

$50 12.2% 59% $71

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Khost

$24 5.8% 73.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Khost

$12 3% 85.1% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $31 in Khost. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $8 in Khost for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $102 per month, with Khost cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇫 Khost

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,987

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.27 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Khost 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Khost

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 Khost: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khost is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 355% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Nosara is about 4.7 times higher, 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: $817 in Nosara versus $31 in Khost. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Khost – a meal for two runs $8 versus $61 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,846 per month in Nosara versus $406 in Khost – a 355% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $406 in Khost versus $1,846 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Khost but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Khost 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.

Expats usually find Khost gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.