Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,524 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Male

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,524 in Male.

Nosara $1,837
Male $1,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,454 in Male.

Nosara $2,775
Male $2,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,385 in Male.

Nosara $3,712
Male $3,385

Living in Nosara is roughly 21% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Male 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.86 MVR 90.3

108.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$38.10 MVR 587

58.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.73 MVR 150

-22.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.49 MVR 53.8

23.50%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.63 MVR 25.14

5.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.31 MVR 4.80

335.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.98 MVR 30.50

-20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.60 MVR 24.74

98.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.21 MVR 18.59

100.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.94 MVR 29.89

84.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.48 MVR 162

-29.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.01 MVR 92.7

73.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.67 MVR 149

41.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.05 MVR 62.5

-42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.13 MVR 48.26

-48.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.98 MVR 61.4

19.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.66 MVR 41.00

-37.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.02 MVR 31.10

84.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.88 MVR 28.95

89.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.12 MVR 32.75

-48.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.61 MVR 9.47

318.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$15.01 MVR 231

-67.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.63 MVR 9.74

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$30.22 MVR 466

138.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.98 MVR 30.56

13.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.90 MVR 29.35

-18.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$10.18 MVR 157

-12.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.99 MVR 15.24

58.59%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

-33.64%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

20.41%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$117 MVR 1,808

-20.29%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$30.56 MVR 471

14.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$71.8 MVR 1,107

-28.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$72.0 MVR 1,110

-0.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$34.45 MVR 531

2.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.90 MVR 153

-20.81%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$185 MVR 2,860

163.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

289.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$39.25 MVR 605

36.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$49.98 MVR 771

11.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$85.8 MVR 1,323

-7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$51.5 MVR 794

53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$948 MVR 14.6K

-17.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$709 MVR 10.9K

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

89.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

-7.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

205.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

-13.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$837 MVR 12.9K

4.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-38.43%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Male: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Male

$709 46.5% 9% $70

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Male

$233 15.3% 33.4% $117

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Male

$126 8.2% 40% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Male

$220 14.4% 22% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Male

$102 6.7% 15.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Male

$92 6% 5.4% $4.7

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Male

$44 2.9% 49.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $948 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 5% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $38.00 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $233 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

10:33 10:33 AM

11 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.29 MVR (100 MVR = 5.78 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Male 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $948 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,524 in Male – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Male runs roughly 138% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,524 in Male versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Male but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Male the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Male is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Male 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 Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.