Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Msida

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Msida: $1,839 and $1,778 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Msida

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,778 in Msida, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Msida $1,778

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,648 in Msida, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Msida $2,648

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,519 in Msida, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Msida $3,519

Nosara costs about 3% more than Msida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Msida sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Msida by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.27 €10.03

9.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$49.46 €43.99

23.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.92 €9.72

-31.14%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.19 €1.95

101.37%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.17 €1.93

-19.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.09 €0.97

20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.64 €4.13

-29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.29 €2.92

35.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 €1.00

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.36 €1.21

122.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.20 €3.74

-40.24%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.66 €2.36

34.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.11 €7.21

-8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.22 €9.09

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.25 €16.23

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.10 €3.65

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.80 €2.49

-42.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.60 €3.20

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.38 €3.01

-52.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.52 €2.24

50.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.00 €1.78

84.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.28 €2.03

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.36 €1.21

95.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.63 €5.90

-21.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.16 €7.26

143.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.74 €1.55

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.42 €2.16

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.20 €1.95

-49.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.67 €5.04

-62.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.19 €1.95

-28.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.74 €23.79

-68.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.48 €1.31

2.70%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.2K €33.1K

-41.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.1K €34.8K

-11.67%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$83.7 €74.4

15.11%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.23 €22.44

42.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.58 €24.53

94.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$56.2 €50.0

27.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.01 €8.90

-21.18%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$371 €330

33.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.9K €9,723

8.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$85.9 €76.4

-37.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.53 €36.05

36.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.8 €87.0

-20.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$77.3 €68.7

3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,033 €919

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$895 €796

-11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,758 €1,564

124.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,479 €1,315

-4.03%

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

$2,714 €2,414

-68.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.9

197.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Msida: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Msida

$895 50.3% 12.6% $100

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Msida

$318 17.9% 9.7% $34

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Msida

$192 10.8% 9.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Msida

$136 7.7% 26.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Msida

$136 7.6% 13% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Msida

$76 4.3% 12.7% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Msida

$25 * 1.4% 70.8% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,033 in Msida. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 214% higher in Msida, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $49.00 in Msida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $318 – making Msida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Msida

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Msida 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Msida

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 Msida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,668 in Msida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Msida, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,778 in Msida. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $371 in Msida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Msida, where all-in costs run around $1,778, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Msida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Msida – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Msida. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.