Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Nosara $1,837
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Nosara $2,775
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Nosara $3,712
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Living in Nosara is roughly 519% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.31 ؋149

429.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$15.68 ؋1,015

283.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$3.90 ؋252

93.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.19 ؋77.3

262.18%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.56 ؋36.07

207.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.32 ؋20.97

321.88%

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

$0.60 ؋38.87

161.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.15 ؋9.41

2013.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.15 ؋139

12.56%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.59 ؋103

124.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.92 ؋513

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.37 ؋218

209.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.23 ؋404

119.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$0.59 ؋38.23

293.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.17 ؋76.0

37.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.81 ؋52.6

485.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.61 ؋39.57

172.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.51 ؋33.06

629.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.40 ؋25.83

792.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.52 ؋33.75

111.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.32 ؋20.76

696.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.56 ؋101

217.31%

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

$0.80 ؋52.0

48.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$1.52 ؋98.7

482.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.49 ؋96.3

5.37%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$9,933 ؋643.3K

119.49%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$83.8 ؋5,425

11.57%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$16.94 ؋1,097

107.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$11.69 ؋757

510.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$3.91 ؋253

806.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.72 ؋306

66.10%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$78.1 ؋5,058

526.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$13.14 ؋851

307.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$18.75 ؋1,214

320.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$231 ؋15.0K

279.50%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 69.6% $243

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 77.1% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 44.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 88.1% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 75.7% $66

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 96.3% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 280% 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 $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

300,600

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Mazar-i-Sharif 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 519% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 280% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 229% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif – a 519% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 519% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.