Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kish

For one person, living is cheaper in Kish: $561 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Kish
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Kish Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kish

🇮🇷 Iran

$561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kish

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $561 in Kish.

Nosara $1,839
Kish $561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $879 in Kish.

Nosara $2,828
Kish $879

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,197 in Kish.

Nosara $3,818
Kish $1,197

Living in Nosara is roughly 228% more expensive than in Kish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Kish is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.52 $5.52

123.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$15.35 $15.35

298.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.39 $4.39

71.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.19 $1.19

270.59%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.50 $0.50

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.01 $1.01

29.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.65 $0.65

140.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.55 $0.55

449.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.04 $2.04

23.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.23 $1.23

190.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.47 $4.47

66.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.14 $3.14

235.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.27 $9.27

50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$0.92 $0.92

155.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.50 $1.50

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.92 $0.92

421.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.62 $0.62

159.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.52 $0.52

630.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.52 $0.52

609.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.48 $0.48

135.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.28 $0.28

850.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 $0.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.38 $2.38

117.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.15 $0.15

646.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$8.30 $8.30

775.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.38 $0.38

463.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.27 $0.27

481.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.71 $2.71

214.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.09 $0.09

1588.89%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$54.6K $54.6K

-60.44%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$49.1K $49.1K

-29.66%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$13.43 $13.43

616.98%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$1.57 $1.57

2185.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$3.31 $3.31

1519.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$20.31 $20.31

252.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.66 $12.66

175.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$2.07 $2.07

281.16%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$113 $113

337.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,256 $2,256

425.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$22.42 $22.42

140.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.14 $28.14

96.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$111 $111

-29.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$69.4 $69.4

14.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$286 $286

175.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$215 $215

268.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$800 $800

392.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$358 $358

296.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,300 $1,300

431.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$563 $563

117.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$413 $413

109.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

24.3

-64.53%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kish: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kish

$215 38.4% 72.9% $579

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kish

$110 19.7% 68.7% $242

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kish

$78 13.9% 63.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kish

$18 3.3% 90.1% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kish

$104 18.5% 13.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kish

$24 4.4% 72% $63

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kish

$11 1.9% 87.8% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $286 in Kish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 109% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $15.00 in Kish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $110 per month, with Kish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇷 Kish

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

01:17 1:17 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

24,819

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kish 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kish

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 Kish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Kish differ by about 228% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $561 including rent). Kish is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 109% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $286 in Kish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 220% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kish – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $561 in Kish versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kish but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kish 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 Kish 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 Kish gentler on the wallet – expenses run 228% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.