Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lucca

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,017 in Lucca, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Lucca
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Lucca Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lucca

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,017

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lucca

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,017 in Lucca, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Lucca $2,017

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,004 in Lucca, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Lucca $3,004

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,990 in Lucca, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Lucca $3,990

Nosara is about 9% cheaper than Lucca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Lucca sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Lucca by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.78 €17.59

-37.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$80.6 €71.7

-24.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.84 €10.53

-36.49%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.02 €1.79

118.32%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.30 €2.93

-47.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.43 €1.27

-8.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.73 €5.99

-51.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.08 €4.52

-12.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.64 €1.46

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.42 €2.15

24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.99 €2.66

-16.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.01 €3.56

-10.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$20.76 €18.46

-64.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$14.43 €12.83

-27.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$21.07 €18.74

-33.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.38 €2.12

-1.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.14 €1.91

-24.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.52 €2.24

90.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.20 €2.84

-49.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.90 €1.69

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.14 €1.91

72.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.82 €1.62

-37.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 €0.50

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$7.05 €6.28

-26.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.83 €6.96

153.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.93 €1.72

50.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.81 €2.50

29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.95 €1.74

-42.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$34.12 €30.35

112.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.53 €4.03

-52.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.62 €1.44

-3.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$27.76 €24.69

-69.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.11 €1.88

-27.96%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.5K €32.4K

-40.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.7K €30.9K

-0.51%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$336 €299

-71.34%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.93 €10.62

200.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$32.27 €28.70

66.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$65.8 €58.6

8.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$50.0 €44.47

-30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.86 €8.77

-19.98%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$645 €574

-23.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.3K €10.0K

5.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$101 €89.6

-46.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$47.80 €42.52

15.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.5 €80.5

-13.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$165 €146

-51.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$796 €708

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$663 €589

19.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,431 €1,273

175.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,012 €900

40.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,989 €3,549

73.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,088 €1,857

-41.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,765 €1,570

-51.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.7

132.97%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lucca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lucca

$663 32.8% 16.6% $132

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lucca

$372 18.5% 5.6% $20

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lucca

$281 13.9% 32.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lucca

$380 18.9% 105% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lucca

$182 9% 51.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lucca

$86 4.2% 2.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lucca

$55 2.7% 37.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $796 in Lucca. 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 104% higher in Lucca, 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 $81.0 in Lucca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $372 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇹 Lucca

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

22:44 10:44 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

89,046

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lucca 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lucca

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 Lucca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lucca is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,026 in Lucca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $2,017 in Lucca. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 113% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Lucca at $2,017. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lucca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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