Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maia

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $2,182 in Maia, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Maia $2,182

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,718 in Maia, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Maia $2,718

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,254 in Maia, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Maia $3,254

Nosara is about 16% cheaper than Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Maia sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Maia by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$11.42 €10.16

8.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$50.0 €44.49

22.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$8.88 €7.90

-12.61%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.00 €1.78

122.00%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.93 €1.71

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.45 €1.29

-11.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.23 €1.98

45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.01 €3.57

10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.10 €0.98

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.69 €1.50

82.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.53 €1.37

65.36%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.89 €2.57

19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$13.29 €11.82

-44.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.93 €7.05

29.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$14.73 €13.10

-4.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.23 €1.98

2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.74 €1.55

-5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.07 €1.84

131.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.33 €2.07

-29.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.22 €1.97

73.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.19 €1.95

71.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.93 €0.82

17.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.10 €0.98

135.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$6.62 €5.89

-22.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.61 €4.10

332.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.31 €1.17

113.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.46 €2.19

43.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.47 €2.20

-50.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$44.74 €39.80

65.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.55 €4.04

-52.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.44 €1.28

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$16.93 €15.06

-48.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.10 €1.87

-26.19%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.3K €28.7K

7.10%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$38.5K €34.2K

0.71%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$106 €94.3

-10.59%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$20.07 €17.85

80.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$38.05 €33.84

39.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$44.89 €39.93

64.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$34.01 €30.25

4.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.65 €7.70

-8.55%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$439 €390

11.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,437 €5,726

84.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$111 €98.9

-50.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$22.04 €19.60

153.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$75.9 €67.5

5.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$106 €94.0

-26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,072 €953

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,313 €1,168

-39.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,706 €1,518

134.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,242 €1,105

13.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,036 €2,701

132.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,673 €1,488

-26.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,420 €1,263

-37.59%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 66.3% $524

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Maia

$259 11.9% 25.8% $90

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Maia

$175 8% 17.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Maia

$164 7.5% 10.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Maia

$142 6.5% 17% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Maia

$62 2.9% 30.6% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Maia

$66 3% 25.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,072 in Maia. 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 60% higher in Maia, 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 $50.0 in Maia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $259 – making Maia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

134,988

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Maia 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maia

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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 19% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $3,273 in Maia. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $50.0 in Maia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $2,182 in Maia. That's a gap of about 19%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Maia at $2,182. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.