Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Molde

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,231 in Molde, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Molde
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Molde Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Molde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,231 in Molde.

Nosara $1,839
Molde $2,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,464 in Molde.

Nosara $2,828
Molde $3,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,697 in Molde.

Nosara $3,818
Molde $4,697

Living in Nosara costs roughly 18% less than in Molde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Molde 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.10 NOK 161

-27.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$96.2 NOK 905

-36.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.25 NOK 125

-43.25%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.11 NOK 38.70

7.30%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.00 NOK 28.21

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.34 NOK 31.45

-60.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$12.71 NOK 120

-74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$11.27 NOK 106

-60.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.91 NOK 27.37

-46.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$4.17 NOK 39.22

-27.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.92 NOK 36.87

-35.97%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.24 NOK 49.35

-31.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.98 NOK 169

-58.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$15.75 NOK 148

-33.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.32 NOK 31.29

-29.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.10 NOK 29.20

-48.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.10 NOK 29.16

54.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.76 NOK 44.84

-66.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.45 NOK 23.05

55.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.35 NOK 22.11

57.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.73 NOK 25.66

-58.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$19.77 NOK 186

-73.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$23.12 NOK 218

-14.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.23 NOK 39.78

-31.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$7.68 NOK 72.3

-52.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$5.02 NOK 47.24

-77.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$82.8 NOK 779

-12.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$15.41 NOK 145

-86.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.32 NOK 21.82

-34.48%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$21.17 NOK 199

69.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$84.9 NOK 800

-36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$57.6 NOK 542

24.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$18.48 NOK 174

-57.31%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$207 NOK 1,953

138.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$108 NOK 1,021

-50.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$135 NOK 1,272

-42.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$157 NOK 1,482

-49.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,249 NOK 11.8K

-36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$977 NOK 9,199

-18.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,854 NOK 17.5K

112.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,666 NOK 15.7K

-14.82%

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

$4,256 NOK 40.1K

-79.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.8

79.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Molde: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Molde

$977 43.8% 23% $183

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Molde

$417 * 18.7% 18.4% $65

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Molde

$337 15.1% 59.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Molde

$106 * 4.8% 42.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Molde

$180 * 8.1% 50.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Molde

$95 4.2% 8.2% $7.2

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Molde

$118 * 5.3% 35.8% $31

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 $1,249 in Molde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays 393% 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 $96.0 in Molde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $417 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇴 Molde

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

18:14 6:14 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,920

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Molde 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Molde

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 Molde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 393% lower in Molde. 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 $1,249 in Molde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $207 in Molde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Molde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,231 in Molde, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Molde. 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 Molde, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Molde 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 21% less than in Molde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.