Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Massa

For one person, living is cheaper in Massa: $1,579 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Massa
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Massa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Massa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Massa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,579 in Massa.

Nosara $1,839
Massa $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,524 in Massa.

Nosara $2,828
Massa $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,470 in Massa.

Nosara $3,818
Massa $3,470

Living in Nosara is roughly 16% more expensive than in Massa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Massa 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.00 €15.12

-27.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$73.4 €65.3

-16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.60 €12.10

-44.71%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.26 €2.01

95.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.31 €2.05

-24.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.15 €1.02

13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.54 €4.04

-27.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.03 €5.36

-25.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.40 €1.25

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.76 €2.46

9.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.59 €2.30

-3.09%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.25 €3.78

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$18.31 €16.29

-59.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$13.06 €11.62

-19.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.36 €15.44

-19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.26 €2.01

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.71 €1.52

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.96 €1.74

144.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.47 €2.20

-34.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.30 €1.16

192.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.36 €1.21

171.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.66 €1.47

-31.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.60 €0.53

343.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.53 €5.81

-20.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.93 €7.05

150.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.60 €1.42

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.85 €1.64

96.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.70 €1.51

-34.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$41.07 €36.53

76.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.42 €4.82

-60.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.47 €1.31

6.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$27.70 €24.64

-69.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.97 €1.75

-22.84%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.6K €32.6K

-41.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.4K €31.5K

-2.60%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$237 €211

-59.35%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.74 €10.45

205.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.78 €24.71

92.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$55.1 €48.97

30.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$23.85 €21.21

46.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.21 €8.19

-14.33%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$559 €497

-11.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,386 €3,902

170.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$87.8 €78.1

-38.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$42.33 €37.65

30.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$93.5 €83.1

-16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$156 €139

-49.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$603 €536

30.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$414 €368

92.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,079 €960

265.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$851 €757

66.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,915 €2,593

137.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,038 €1,812

-39.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,690 €1,504

-48.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.46

149.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Massa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Massa

$414 26.2% 47.9% $381

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Massa

$331 21% 6% $21

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Massa

$253 16% 19.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Massa

$276 17.5% 48.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Massa

$171 10.8% 42.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Massa

$73 4.7% 15.9% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Massa

$61 3.8% 30.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $603 in Massa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Massa pays 96% 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 $73.0 in Massa. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $331, with Massa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇹 Massa

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

69,479

💱 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 Massa 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Massa

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 Massa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Massa differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,579 including rent). Massa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Massa. 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 $603 in Massa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Massa – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,579 in Massa – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,579 in Massa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Massa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Massa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Massa 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 Massa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.