Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Paphos

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,113 in Paphos, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Paphos
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Paphos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Paphos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Paphos

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,113 in Paphos, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Paphos $2,113

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,197 in Paphos, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Paphos $3,197

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $4,282 in Paphos, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Paphos $4,282

Nosara is about 13% cheaper than Paphos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Paphos sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Paphos by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$17.14 €15.30

-28.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$55.9 €49.87

7.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.77 €7.82

-14.03%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.52 €3.14

22.44%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.94 €1.73

-11.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.20 €1.07

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$4.14 €3.69

-21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.02 €3.58

11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.94 €1.73

-19.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.49 €1.33

112.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.30 €2.05

5.22%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.98 €4.45

-28.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$13.24 €11.81

-43.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.76 €7.81

18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.48 €11.13

9.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.23 €2.88

-28.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.80 €1.60

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.01 €1.79

135.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.63 €3.24

-54.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.47 €1.31

153.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.20 €1.07

197.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.65 €0.58

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.00 €0.89

155.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.45 €4.87

-9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.83 €6.09

192.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.67 €1.49

67.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.00 €1.78

76.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$2.22 €1.98

-46.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$57.0 €50.9

26.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$11.04 €9.86

-79.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.10 €1.88

-26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$22.40 €19.99

-60.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.81 €1.62

-13.26%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$32.4K €28.9K

-32.63%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.5K €29.0K

6.68%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$189 €168

-50.45%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$24.03 €21.45

46.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$35.48 €31.66

45.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$70.2 €62.6

1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$25.34 €22.61

39.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$11.14 €9.94

-29.62%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$438 €391

11.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$6,660 €5,944

78.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$83.4 €74.4

-35.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$45.53 €40.63

22.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$92.6 €82.6

-14.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$88.6 €79.1

-10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,082 €966

-27.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$973 €868

-19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,120 €1,892

82.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,912 €1,706

-26.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,350 €3,882

60.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,551 €2,277

-52.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,836 €1,638

-52.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.31

160.42%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Paphos: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Paphos

$973 47% 24.7% $193

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Paphos

$285 13.8% 18.5% $65

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Paphos

$247 11.9% 17.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Paphos

$248 12% 37.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Paphos

$140 6.7% 15.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Paphos

$92 4.5% 6.1% $5.4

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Paphos

$87 4.2% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,082 in Paphos. 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 109% higher in Paphos, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $56.0 in Paphos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $285 – making Paphos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇾 Paphos

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

14:14 2:14 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,892

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Paphos 11,830 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Paphos

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 Paphos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $2,113 in Paphos – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $3,169 in Paphos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 26% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $438 in Paphos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Paphos at $2,113. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paphos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,113 in Paphos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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