Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lezhe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lezhe: $1,011 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Lezhe
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Lezhe Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lezhe

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lezhe

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,011 in Lezhe, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Lezhe $1,011

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,537 in Lezhe, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Lezhe $1,537

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,063 in Lezhe, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Lezhe $2,063

Nosara costs about 82% more than Lezhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Lezhe is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.39 ALL 434

129.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$37.19 ALL 2,995

64.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.64 ALL 293

106.59%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.02 ALL 82.4

332.35%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.50 ALL 121

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.64 ALL 51.3

104.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.49 ALL 120

120.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.43 ALL 195

83.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.90 ALL 153

-17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.99 ALL 79.6

205.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.02 ALL 163

24.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.66 ALL 214

34.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.15 ALL 817

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.60 ALL 692

22.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.03 ALL 1,130

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.91 ALL 154

23.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.23 ALL 179

-27.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.62 ALL 130

196.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.59 ALL 128

1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.08 ALL 87.0

251.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.28 ALL 103

188.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.18 ALL 94.8

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.83 ALL 67.0

220.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.31 ALL 347

20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.79 ALL 627

155.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.72 ALL 138

68.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.85 ALL 149

96.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.49 ALL 39.41

128.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$18.93 ALL 1,524

283.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.73 ALL 301

-42.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.82 ALL 308

-58.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$17.97 ALL 1,447

-52.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.25 ALL 182

-32.44%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

-34.95%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

39.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$60.0 ALL 4,833

60.43%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.37 ALL 1,318

119.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$16.98 ALL 1,367

215.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$55.3 ALL 4,456

29.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.77 ALL 706

-10.03%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$180 ALL 14.5K

175.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$49.81 ALL 4,011

8.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$55.5 ALL 4,468

-0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.3 ALL 7,752

-19.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$146 ALL 11.8K

-45.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$482 ALL 38.9K

63.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$308 ALL 24.8K

157.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$709 ALL 57.1K

455.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$429 ALL 34.6K

230.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,694 ALL 136.4K

308.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,133 ALL 91.2K

8.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$609 ALL 49.1K

41.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lezhe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lezhe

$308 30.5% 61.2% $486

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lezhe

$249 24.6% 29.4% $103

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lezhe

$87 8.6% 58.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lezhe

$93 9.2% 49.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lezhe

$156 15.5% 30.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lezhe

$73 7.2% 16.6% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lezhe

$44 4.3% 49.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $482 in Lezhe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $37.00 in Lezhe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $249 – making Lezhe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇱 Lezhe

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

14:12 2:12 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

65,633

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lezhe 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lezhe

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 Lezhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,011 in Lezhe – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,516 in Lezhe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lezhe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $37.00 in Lezhe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lezhe, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lezhe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Lezhe to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lezhe. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.