Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Naousa

For one person, living is cheaper in Naousa: $1,473 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Naousa
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Naousa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Naousa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Naousa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,473 in Naousa.

Nosara $1,839
Naousa $1,473

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,214 in Naousa.

Nosara $2,828
Naousa $2,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,955 in Naousa.

Nosara $3,818
Naousa $2,955

Living in Nosara is roughly 25% more expensive than in Naousa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Naousa 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$15.20 €13.50

-18.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$54.3 €48.22

12.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$9.00 €8.00

-16.44%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$3.71 €3.30

18.87%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$2.34 €2.08

-25.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.58 €0.51

125.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$5.17 €4.59

-36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$5.76 €5.12

-22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.54 €1.36

1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.45 €1.29

108.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.65 €2.35

-5.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$4.63 €4.11

-22.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$13.25 €11.77

-43.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$9.63 €8.55

9.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$14.26 €12.66

-2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.22 €1.98

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$2.09 €1.86

-22.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$1.38 €1.22

247.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.01 €1.78

-19.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.12 €0.99

239.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.16 €1.03

218.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.07 €0.95

5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.88 €0.78

202.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$5.44 €4.83

-4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$7.01 €6.22

183.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$2.01 €1.78

44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$2.56 €2.28

41.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.32 €1.17

-15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$49.44 €43.91

46.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$4.25 €3.78

-49.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.18 €1.04

33.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$14.55 €12.92

-41.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$2.20 €1.96

-30.91%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.5K €24.4K

-21.35%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.7K €19.3K

58.92%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$207 €184

-53.44%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$24.59 €21.84

45.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$30.69 €27.26

74.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$51.2 €45.45

39.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.25 €19.76

56.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$8.69 €7.72

-9.21%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$410 €364

20.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,214 €7,295

44.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$89.2 €79.2

-39.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$34.12 €30.30

62.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$87.2 €77.4

-10.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$137 €122

-42.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$479 €426

64.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$400 €355

98.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$746 €663

427.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$615 €546

130.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,933 €2,605

135.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$2,314 €2,055

-47.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$963 €855

-10.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.46

93.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Naousa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Naousa

$400 27.2% 49.6% $394

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Naousa

$279 18.9% 20.9% $74

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Naousa

$242 16.5% 14.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Naousa

$262 17.8% 41.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Naousa

$157 10.6% 30.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Naousa

$69 4.7% 21.5% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Naousa

$65 4.4% 25.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $479 in Naousa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Naousa pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $54.0 in Naousa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $279 per month, with Naousa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Naousa

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

15:17 3:17 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,870

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Naousa 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Naousa

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 Naousa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Naousa differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,473 including rent). Naousa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Naousa. 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 $479 in Naousa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $410 in Naousa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,473 in Naousa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Naousa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Naousa 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 Naousa 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 Naousa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.