Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Monastir

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Monastir
Learn more

Monastir Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monastir

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Monastir

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $706 in Monastir.

Nosara $1,846
Monastir $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $1,131 in Monastir.

Nosara $2,833
Monastir $1,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $1,555 in Monastir.

Nosara $3,820
Monastir $1,555

Living in Nosara is roughly 161% more expensive than in Monastir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Monastir is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$5.01 TND 15.08

146.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$22.48 TND 67.7

170.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$6.15 TND 18.51

28.13%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$1.19 TND 3.59

269.75%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.74 TND 2.23

132.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.36 TND 1.09

272.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$1.63 TND 4.92

104.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$1.63 TND 4.91

178.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$0.44 TND 1.32

272.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$0.17 TND 0.51

1758.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.68 TND 5.05

42.26%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.58 TND 4.75

119.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$13.71 TND 41.29

-47.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$6.15 TND 18.52

67.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$14.60 TND 43.97

-4.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$2.01 TND 6.07

13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$4.40 TND 13.25

-63.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$1.20 TND 3.60

300.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$0.80 TND 2.40

110.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$0.87 TND 2.63

349.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$0.72 TND 2.17

404.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.44 TND 1.33

156.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.33 TND 1.01

696.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$3.74 TND 11.27

34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$5.70 TND 17.18

245.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.21 TND 3.65

140.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$1.32 TND 3.97

168.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.32 TND 0.95

278.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$11.01 TND 33.17

569.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.29 TND 0.87

641.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.29 TND 0.86

462.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$1.77 TND 5.34

395.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$0.83 TND 2.49

86.75%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$39.7K TND 119.6K

-14.64%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$35.9K TND 108.3K

7.06%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$61.5 TND 185

54.71%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$10.56 TND 31.82

243.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$20.06 TND 60.4

159.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$23.67 TND 71.3

185.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$6.63 TND 19.97

436.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$6.03 TND 18.17

25.04%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$94.4 TND 284

426.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$3,205 TND 9,656

267.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$46.92 TND 141

17.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$67.5 TND 203

-16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$111 TND 335

-30.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$97.2 TND 293

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$203 TND 610

303.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$121 TND 363

568.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$354 TND 1,067

1026.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$233 TND 703

512.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$1,219 TND 3,671

480.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$619 TND 1,864

93.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$347 TND 1,044

156.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Monastir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Monastir

$121 17.1% 85% $685

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Monastir

$210 29.7% 40.2% $141

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Monastir

$89 12.6% 58.4% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Monastir

$92 13.1% 49.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Monastir

$145 20.6% 20.4% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Monastir

$14 2% 84.3% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Monastir

$36 5.1% 56.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $203 in Monastir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays about 2.6 times 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 in Nosara vs $22 in Monastir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $210 per month, with Monastir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇳 Monastir

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

17:36 5:36 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

104,535

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Monastir 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Monastir

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 Monastir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monastir is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 161% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Nosara is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $817 in Nosara versus $203 in Monastir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,846 per month in Nosara versus $706 in Monastir – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Monastir runs roughly 85% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $706 in Monastir versus $1,846 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monastir but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Monastir 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 Monastir 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 Monastir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.