Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Neum

For one person, living is cheaper in Neum: $955 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Neum
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Neum Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Neum

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Neum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $955 in Neum.

Nosara $1,839
Neum $955

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,410 in Neum.

Nosara $2,828
Neum $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,866 in Neum.

Nosara $3,818
Neum $1,866

Living in Nosara is roughly 93% more expensive than in Neum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Neum is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,556

$5.29 BAM 9.24

133.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$30.98 BAM 54.1

97.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,383

$5.67 BAM 9.91

32.63%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,984

$1.90 BAM 3.32

132.11%

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

$1.74 ₡782

$1.90 BAM 3.33

-8.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡589

$1.18 BAM 2.07

11.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,475

$2.52 BAM 4.41

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,010

$2.19 BAM 3.83

104.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡703

$1.12 BAM 1.96

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,359

$0.95 BAM 1.65

217.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,129

$2.07 BAM 3.62

21.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,608

$2.57 BAM 4.48

38.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,344

$7.88 BAM 13.77

-5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,732

$7.37 BAM 12.87

42.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,284

$10.39 BAM 18.15

34.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$1.12 BAM 1.96

109.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡722

$1.62 BAM 2.83

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,159

$1.36 BAM 2.37

252.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.20 BAM 2.09

34.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,708

$0.98 BAM 1.72

287.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,662

$0.99 BAM 1.72

272.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.76 BAM 1.32

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$0.71 BAM 1.24

274.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,328

$3.93 BAM 6.86

31.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,944

$3.99 BAM 6.96

398.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,304

$0.78 BAM 1.36

271.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,631

$0.89 BAM 1.55

307.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.27 BAM 2.21

-11.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

$57.4 BAM 100

26.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡961

$1.74 BAM 3.05

22.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.60 BAM 1.04

161.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,835

$5.79 BAM 10.11

47.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡684

$1.55 BAM 2.70

-1.94%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

-27.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.3K BAM 37.3K

61.87%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$135 BAM 237

-28.89%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.64 BAM 30.82

103.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$25.86 BAM 45.18

107.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$32.47 BAM 56.7

120.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$11.52 BAM 20.13

203.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,550

$5.74 BAM 10.02

37.46%

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

$494 ₡222.3K

$198 BAM 346

149.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,317 BAM 4,048

411.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$59.4 BAM 104

-9.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$33.42 BAM 58.4

65.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.1K

$85.8 BAM 150

-9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$83.3 BAM 146

-4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.5K

$345 BAM 603

128.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡357.3K

$248 BAM 433

220.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$506 BAM 884

678.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡638.4K

$355 BAM 620

299.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,410 BAM 4,210

186.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.7K

$1,786 BAM 3,120

-31.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

$847 BAM 1,480

1.92%

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 Neum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Neum

$248 25.9% 68.8% $547

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Neum

$188 19.7% 46.7% $165

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Neum

$112 11.7% 47.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Neum

$179 18.7% 3.7% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Neum

$118 12.4% 1.9% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Neum

$44 4.6% 49.7% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Neum

$67 7% 22.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $345 in Neum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 2% 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 $31.00 in Neum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $188 per month, with Neum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇦 Neum

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,200

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BAM = 0.572 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.572 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Neum 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Neum

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 Neum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Neum differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $955 including rent). Neum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Nosara, 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: $788 in Nosara versus $345 in Neum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Neum runs roughly 27% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $198 in Neum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $955 in Neum versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Neum but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Neum 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 Neum 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 Neum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.