Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Qrendi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,066 in Qrendi, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Qrendi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Qrendi
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Qrendi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Qrendi

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Qrendi

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,066 in Qrendi, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Qrendi $2,066

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,926 in Qrendi, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Qrendi $2,926

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,786 in Qrendi, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Qrendi $3,786

Nosara is about 11% cheaper than Qrendi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Qrendi sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Qrendi by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.42 €17.28

-36.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$85.3 €75.8

-28.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.44 €11.96

-44.05%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.72 €2.42

62.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.02 €2.69

-42.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.27 €2.02

-42.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.62 €4.11

-29.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.25 €4.67

-14.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.33 €1.18

17.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.31 €1.16

130.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.35 €3.87

-42.30%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.19 €3.73

-14.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.02 €7.14

-7.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.22 €9.09

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.25 €16.24

-23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.09 €3.64

-42.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.69 €2.39

-40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.62 €3.22

32.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.38 €3.01

-52.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.45 €2.18

55.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 €1.80

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.35 €2.09

-51.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.33 €1.18

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.95 €6.18

-25.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.98 €7.10

149.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.76 €1.57

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.42 €2.15

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.55 €2.27

-56.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.70 €5.07

-62.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.18 €1.94

-27.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.56 €23.63

-67.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.47 €1.31

3.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.7K €33.6K

-42.72%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.2K €34.9K

-12.02%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$101 €89.8

-4.62%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.17 €22.39

42.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.45 €37.76

26.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$66.2 €58.9

8.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.85 €8.76

-19.90%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$371 €330

33.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.2K €9,955

5.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$87.5 €77.8

-38.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.68 €36.19

36.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$101 €89.5

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.6 €69.9

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,282 €1,140

-38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,039 €924

-23.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,821 €1,619

116.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,295 €1,152

9.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,216 €3,750

63.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,595 €2,309

-52.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Qrendi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Qrendi

$1K 50.3% 30.8% $245

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Qrendi

$325 15.7% 7.8% $28

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Qrendi

$283 13.7% 33.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Qrendi

$169 8.2% 9.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Qrendi

$138 6.7% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Qrendi

$86 4.2% 1.7% $1.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Qrendi

$27 * 1.3% 69.2% $60

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 $1,282 in Qrendi. 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 $85.0 in Qrendi. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $325 in Qrendi – so Qrendi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Qrendi

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

18:39 6:39 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Qrendi 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Qrendi

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 Qrendi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,066 in Qrendi – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,099 in Qrendi. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $85.0 in Qrendi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Qrendi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Qrendi at $2,066. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Qrendi 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,066 in Qrendi. 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, Qrendi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.