Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mellieha

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Mellieha: $1,839 and $1,868 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mellieha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,868 in Mellieha.

Nosara $1,839
Mellieha $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,814 in Mellieha.

Nosara $2,828
Mellieha $2,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,761 in Mellieha.

Nosara $3,818
Mellieha $3,761

Living in Nosara costs roughly 2% less than in Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Mellieha 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.84 €14.98

-26.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$64.6 €57.4

-5.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.74 €9.55

-29.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.65 €2.36

66.42%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.43 €2.16

-28.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.98 €1.76

-33.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.92 €3.49

-16.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.84 €6.08

-34.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.37 €1.22

13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.37 €1.22

120.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.44 €3.06

-27.03%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.43 €3.94

-19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.15 €9.03

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.90 €8.80

6.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.22 €16.21

-23.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.69 €3.28

-36.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.81 €2.50

-42.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.99 €3.55

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.78 €3.36

-57.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.90 €1.69

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.39 €3.02

8.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.70 €1.51

-33.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.15 €1.02

131.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.43 €5.72

-19.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.01 €5.35

230.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.42 €2.15

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.36 €2.10

53.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.74 €2.43

-59.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.96 €3.52

-45.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.84 €1.64

-14.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$33.19 €29.52

-74.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.46 €1.30

4.11%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.1K €25.0K

-23.17%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.0K €34.7K

-11.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$104 €92.3

-7.25%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$30.81 €27.40

16.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.75 €25.57

86.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$59.9 €53.3

19.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.44 €7.51

-6.52%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$282 €250

75.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.3K €11.0K

-3.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.2 €50.9

-5.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.17 €34.85

41.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.3 €73.2

-5.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$72.7 €64.7

9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,131 €1,006

-30.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$915 €814

-13.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,789 €1,591

120.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,508 €1,341

-5.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,935 €3,500

75.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,756 €2,451

-55.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,350 €1,201

-36.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.05

112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Mellieha

$915 49% 15.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Mellieha

$326 17.4% 7.6% $27

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Mellieha

$250 13.4% 17.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Mellieha

$163 8.8% 12% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Mellieha

$113 6.1% 5.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mellieha

$77 4.1% 12.1% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3% 72.3% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mellieha pays 56% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $65.0 in Mellieha. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $326, with Mellieha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

17:34 5:34 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

10,087

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Mellieha 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mellieha

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 Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Mellieha. 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 $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $282 in Mellieha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $65.0 in Mellieha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,868 in Mellieha, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Mellieha. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Nosara and Mellieha 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Mellieha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.