Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Qena

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Qena
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Qena Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Qena

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $468 in Qena, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Qena $468

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $746 in Qena, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Qena $746

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,023 in Qena, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Qena $1,023

Nosara costs about 293% more than Qena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Qena is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$3.84 E£205

221.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$14.99 E£801

308.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$5.78 E£309

30.10%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.00 E£107

120.50%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.50 E£26.78

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.18 E£9.56

627.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$1.92 E£103

70.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$3.04 E£162

47.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.97 E£51.7

60.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$0.76 E£40.69

297.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$0.66 E£35.14

280.30%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.93 E£103

84.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$3.15 E£169

135.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$5.61 E£300

87.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.89 E£528

41.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.48 E£79.2

58.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$0.52 E£27.67

209.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$0.41 E£21.67

1070.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$0.41 E£21.99

292.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.34 E£18.28

1017.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$0.39 E£20.87

846.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.27 E£14.25

318.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.18 E£9.69

1377.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$2.14 E£114

142.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$7.22 E£386

175.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.26 E£67.1

130.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.71 E£91.6

112.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.17 E£9.02

558.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$0.37 E£20.03

478.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.21 E£11.18

647.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$1.26 E£67.1

576.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$0.43 E£22.75

253.49%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.9K E£1.7M

-32.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.8K E£1.2M

58.68%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$25.42 E£1,359

278.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.95 E£425

351.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$9.28 E£496

477.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$15.61 E£834

358.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$3.39 E£181

132.74%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$101 E£5,375

391.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$598 E£32.0K

1883.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$19.95 E£1,066

170.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$33.52 E£1,791

65.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$123 E£6,579

-36.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$28.92 E£1,545

175.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$133 E£7,086

494.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$79.8 E£4,265

895.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$280 E£14.9K

1308.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$145 E£7,723

882.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$709 E£37.9K

875.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$300 E£16.0K

307.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.21

-46.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Qena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Qena

$80 17.1% 90% $715

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Qena

$138 29.5% 60.8% $214

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Qena

$90 19.3% 57.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Qena

$43 9.1% 77% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Qena

$92 19.8% 23% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Qena

$22 4.8% 74.4% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Qena

$2.1 * 0.5% 97.6% $85

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 $133 in Qena. 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 $15.00 in Qena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $138 – making Qena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇬 Qena

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

235,362

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Qena 12,240 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Qena

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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $468 in Qena – roughly 293% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $702 in Qena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $15.00 in Qena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 155% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qena, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Qena 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 $468 in Qena 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 Qena. 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.