Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Masallatah

For one person, living is cheaper in Masallatah: $369 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Masallatah
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Masallatah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Masallatah

🇱🇾 Libya

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Masallatah

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $369 in Masallatah, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Masallatah $369

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $571 in Masallatah, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Masallatah $571

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $773 in Masallatah, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Masallatah $773

Nosara costs about 399% more than Masallatah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Masallatah is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.83 LYD 24.54

222.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$15.66 LYD 100

290.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.56 LYD 16.42

193.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.60

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$0.48 LYD 3.08

818.75%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.46 LYD 2.94

278.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.10 LYD 0.63

1210.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.92 LYD 5.91

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1410.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.17 LYD 7.51

114.53%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.42 LYD 9.12

151.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.35 LYD 34.29

38.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.49 LYD 22.35

201.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.36 LYD 60.0

49.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.26 LYD 14.48

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.49 LYD 9.52

8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.68 LYD 4.37

605.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.56 LYD 3.56

187.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.71 LYD 4.52

435.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.47 LYD 3.00

685.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.39 LYD 2.52

189.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.16 LYD 1.04

1562.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.75 LYD 11.23

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 LYD 6.23

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 LYD 5.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.96 LYD 12.59

164.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

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

$0.75 LYD 4.82

185.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.45 LYD 2.87

248.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7500.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.2K LYD 148.4K

-6.71%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.1K LYD 135.2K

63.60%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$93.4 LYD 598

3.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.20 LYD 39.71

478.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.43 LYD 176

95.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$52.9 LYD 339

834.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,528 LYD 9,792

676.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$22.85 LYD 146

136.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$17.53 LYD 112

216.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$65.2 LYD 418

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$65.1 LYD 417

22.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Masallatah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Masallatah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Masallatah

$115 31.3% 67.2% $237

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Masallatah

$46 12.6% 78.1% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Masallatah

$127 34.5% 31.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Masallatah

$77 20.8% 36% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Masallatah

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Masallatah

$3 * 0.8% 96.6% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $16.00 in Masallatah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $115 – making Masallatah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇾 Masallatah

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

23:48 11:48 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR 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).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Masallatah 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Masallatah

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 Masallatah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 399%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $553 in Masallatah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $369 in Masallatah. That's a gap of about 399%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $52.9 in Masallatah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Masallatah, where all-in costs run around $369, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Masallatah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Masallatah – 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 Masallatah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.