Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,870 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Marsa

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,870 in Marsa, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Marsa $2,870

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,982 in Marsa, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Marsa $3,982

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,094 in Marsa, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Marsa $5,094

Nosara is about 36% cheaper than Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Marsa sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Marsa by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.80 €17.61

-37.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$85.7 €76.2

-28.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.34 €11.87

-43.63%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.69 €2.39

63.94%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.17 €1.93

-19.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.19 €1.95

-40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.46 €3.96

-26.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.51 €2.23

78.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 €1.20

16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.36 €1.21

122.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.21 €3.74

-40.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.30 €3.82

-16.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.14 €7.24

-8.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.59 €9.42

-0.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.25 €16.23

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.28 €3.80

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.84 €2.52

-43.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.63 €3.23

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.41 €3.03

-52.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.41 €2.14

57.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 €1.80

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.39 €2.12

-52.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.29 €1.15

106.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.91 €6.15

-25.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.96 €7.08

149.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.76 €1.57

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.45 €2.18

48.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.50 €4.89

-61.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.30 €2.04

-31.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.84 €23.87

-68.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.54 €1.37

-1.30%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$38.5K €34.2K

-43.80%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.7K €34.4K

-10.71%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$103 €91.3

-6.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.31 €22.51

41.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$43.13 €38.36

24.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.94 €8.84

-20.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$368 €327

34.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.2K €9,954

5.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$88.0 €78.3

-38.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.78 €36.27

35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.0 €87.2

-20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.7 €70.0

1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$2,428 €2,160

-67.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,920 €1,707

-58.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,247 €1,999

75.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,757 €2,453

-48.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,222 €2,866

-73.20%

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 Marsa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Marsa

$1.9K 66.9% 142% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Marsa

$329 11.5% 6.6% $23

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Marsa

$275 9.6% 30% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Marsa

$171 6% 7.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Marsa

$137 4.8% 14.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Marsa

$20 * 0.7% 77.2% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Marsa

$17 * 0.6% 80.5% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $2,428 in Marsa. 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 273% higher in Marsa, 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 $86.0 in Marsa. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $329 in Marsa – so Marsa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Marsa

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

19:59 7:59 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Marsa 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Marsa

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 Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsa is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $4,304 in Marsa. 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 $2,870 in Marsa. That's a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $368 in Marsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Marsa at $2,870. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsa 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, Marsa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.