Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $834 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rabat

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $834 in Rabat, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Rabat $834

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,433 in Rabat, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Rabat $1,433

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,031 in Rabat, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Rabat $2,031

Nosara costs about 120% more than Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Rabat is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.27 MAD 42.37

186.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$40.69 MAD 404

47.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.91 MAD 68.6

9.12%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.92 MAD 19.00

124.48%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.56 MAD 5.58

207.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.35 MAD 3.49

285.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.07 MAD 50.2

-36.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.09 MAD 30.65

44.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.86 MAD 8.53

82.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.65 MAD 6.41

387.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.91 MAD 18.94

26.70%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.84 MAD 18.28

94.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.01 MAD 109

-32.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.63 MAD 65.8

57.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.99 MAD 119

13.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.59 MAD 15.78

45.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.36 MAD 13.44

18.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.83 MAD 8.23

471.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.88 MAD 8.74

88.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.71 MAD 7.06

423.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.79 MAD 7.80

351.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.39 MAD 3.90

182.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.58 MAD 5.76

339.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.10 MAD 40.64

20.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.14 MAD 70.9

180.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.62 MAD 26.02

6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.61 MAD 25.90

35.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.49 MAD 4.86

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$24.98 MAD 248

188.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.72 MAD 7.13

211.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.58 MAD 5.76

167.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.48 MAD 14.64

6.08%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$30.2K MAD 299.3K

-27.75%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.6K MAD 293.6K

17.00%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$35.22 MAD 349

165.33%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.44 MAD 93.7

271.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$33.23 MAD 330

54.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$27.99 MAD 278

155.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$23.54 MAD 233

50.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.97 MAD 59.2

31.32%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$180 MAD 1,786

171.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,210 MAD 91.3K

29.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$46.06 MAD 457

16.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$39.15 MAD 388

42.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$91.4 MAD 906

-13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$64.9 MAD 644

21.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$521 MAD 5,171

50.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$268 MAD 2,661

190.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$956 MAD 9,485

303.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$686 MAD 6,809

104.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,967 MAD 19.5K

254.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,136 MAD 11.3K

5.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$695 MAD 6,893

26.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.52

90.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Rabat

$268 32% 65.6% $512

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Rabat

$201 23.9% 42.5% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Rabat

$113 13.5% 46% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Rabat

$78 9.3% 56.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Rabat

$109 13% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Rabat

$40 4.8% 54.1% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Rabat

$31 3.6% 64.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $521 in Rabat. 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 26% higher in Nosara, 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 $41.00 in Rabat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $201 – making Rabat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MAD = 10.08 USD

100 MAD = 8.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.92 MAD (1 MAD = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.12 MAD (100 MAD = 8.99 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Rabat 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $834 in Rabat – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,251 in Rabat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 189% less in Rabat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $180 in Rabat. 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 Rabat, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Rabat 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 $834 in Rabat to $1,837 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 Rabat. 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.