Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Luqa

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Luqa: $1,839 and $1,773 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
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Luqa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Luqa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,773 in Luqa.

Nosara $1,839
Luqa $1,773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,738 in Luqa.

Nosara $2,828
Luqa $2,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,703 in Luqa.

Nosara $3,818
Luqa $3,703

Living in Nosara is roughly 4% more expensive than in Luqa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Luqa 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.40 €17.26

-36.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$85.5 €76.1

-28.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.99 €9.77

-31.57%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.74 €2.44

60.95%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.09 €2.75

-43.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.25 €2.00

-41.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.43 €3.94

-25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.29 €3.82

4.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 €1.06

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.15 €1.02

162.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.54 €3.15

-29.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.97 €3.53

-10.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.42 €7.49

-11.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.15 €9.03

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.66 €13.93

-10.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.82 €2.51

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.03 €1.81

-20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.04 €2.70

57.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.41 €3.03

-52.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.78 €1.58

113.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.97 €1.75

87.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.30 €2.04

-50.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.88 €0.78

202.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.91 €6.15

-25.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.88 €7.01

152.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.53 €1.36

89.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.21 €1.97

64.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.22 €1.97

-49.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$14.31 €12.73

407.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.44 €4.84

-60.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.17 €1.93

-27.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.71 €23.76

-68.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.49 €1.32

2.01%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.7K €22.0K

-12.53%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.2K €34.9K

-11.97%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$101 €89.8

-4.63%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.06 €22.29

43.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$33.93 €30.18

57.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$54.5 €48.47

31.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$56.0 €49.76

-37.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.84 €8.75

-19.82%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$371 €330

33.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.1K €9,912

6.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$86.0 €76.5

-37.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.53 €36.05

36.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.1 €73.0

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.7 €70.0

1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$801 €712

-1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$808 €719

-1.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,313 €1,168

199.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,284 €1,142

10.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,858 €2,542

141.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,139 €2,792

-61.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,418 €1,261

-39.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.9

197.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Luqa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Luqa

$808 45.6% 1.7% $14

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Luqa

$289 16.3% 18% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Luqa

$273 15.4% 29% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Luqa

$160 9% 13.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Luqa

$129 7.3% 7.7% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Luqa

$74 4.2% 15.1% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Luqa

$40 2.2% 54.7% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $801 in Luqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luqa pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $85.0 in Luqa. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $289, with Luqa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Luqa

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

15:58 3:58 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,900

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Luqa 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Luqa

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 Luqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luqa wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Luqa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Luqa. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $801 in Luqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,773 in Luqa – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Luqa runs roughly 408% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,773 in Luqa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Luqa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Luqa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Luqa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,773 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luqa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Luqa 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 Luqa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.