Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,085 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Qapshaghay

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,077 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Qapshaghay $1,077

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,621 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Qapshaghay $1,621

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,166 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Qapshaghay $2,166

Nosara costs about 71% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Qapshaghay is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$10.91 ₸4,930

13.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$22.55 ₸10.2K

171.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.49 ₸2,932

19.57%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.73 ₸782

156.65%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.99 ₸445

80.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.69 ₸310

86.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.37 ₸619

136.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.35 ₸611

228.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.72 ₸778

-9.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.48 ₸216

541.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.08 ₸940

21.63%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.48 ₸1,121

39.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.49 ₸5,646

-41.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.49 ₸2,934

57.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.71 ₸4,841

31.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.79 ₸809

27.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.39 ₸1,079

-31.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.03 ₸1,369

58.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.79 ₸1,262

-41.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.80 ₸363

381.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.55 ₸249

581.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.60 ₸723

-31.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.04 ₸471

149.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$1.63 ₸736

214.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$11.11 ₸5,021

79.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.26 ₸572

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.48 ₸1,119

41.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.16 ₸70.2

662.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$17.23 ₸7,791

328.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.87 ₸393

149.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.70 ₸315

122.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$4.03 ₸1,822

115.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.56 ₸254

176.79%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

53.23%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$29.7K ₸13.4M

30.35%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$90.0 ₸40.7K

5.31%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$10.64 ₸4,809

239.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$18.21 ₸8,232

191.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$41.59 ₸18.8K

77.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.82 ₸3,083

15.98%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$146 ₸66.2K

235.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,474 ₸2.0M

165.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$91.5 ₸41.4K

-40.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$45.71 ₸20.7K

22.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$143 ₸64.5K

-43.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$132 ₸59.6K

-40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$450 ₸203.3K

78.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$312 ₸141.1K

152.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$721 ₸325.8K

455.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$487 ₸220.2K

189.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,085 ₸490.3K

551.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$872 ₸394.4K

41.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

20.65

-58.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Qapshaghay

$312 28.8% 60.5% $477

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Qapshaghay

$248 22.8% 29.2% $102

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Qapshaghay

$144 13.2% 32.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Qapshaghay

$119 11% 35.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1% 53.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 38.4% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Qapshaghay

$22 2.1% 75% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $441 in Qapshaghay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $22.00 in Qapshaghay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $246 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

15:53 3:53 PM

12 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

42,167

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Qapshaghay 13,780 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,077 in Qapshaghay – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,615 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 332% less in Qapshaghay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $145 in Qapshaghay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,077, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Qapshaghay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,077 in Qapshaghay to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Qapshaghay. 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.