Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Sabratha
🇱🇾 Libya
$406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sabratha

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $406 in Sabratha, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Sabratha $406

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $597 in Sabratha, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Sabratha $597

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $787 in Sabratha, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Sabratha $787

Nosara costs about 353% more than Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sabratha is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$3.04 LYD 19.46
306.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$9.22 LYD 59.1
563.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$1.52 LYD 9.75
394.74%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.65 LYD 4.14
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.73 LYD 4.70
-
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$0.48 LYD 3.09
818.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$0.30 LYD 1.90
480.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$0.07 LYD 0.44
1771.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$0.89 LYD 5.67
75.28%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$0.22 LYD 1.41
1272.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.10 LYD 7.07
128.18%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$1.37 LYD 8.76
160.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$5.27 LYD 33.79
40.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$3.48 LYD 22.32
202.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$9.58 LYD 61.4
45.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.00 LYD 12.79
17.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.54 LYD 9.89
4.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$0.73 LYD 4.70
557.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$0.57 LYD 3.64
182.46%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$0.49 LYD 3.13
675.51%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$0.29 LYD 1.89
1172.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$0.32 LYD 2.06
253.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.17 LYD 1.06
1464.71%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.76 LYD 11.30
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.91 LYD 5.85
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.78 LYD 5.00
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$1.84 LYD 11.79
181.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$0.75 LYD 4.80
49.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$0.76 LYD 4.88
181.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$0.30 LYD 1.89
423.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$0.81 LYD 5.22
951.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$0.02 LYD 0.14
7500.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$22.9K LYD 146.9K
-5.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$21.3K LYD 136.5K
62.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$92.0 LYD 590
4.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$3.99 LYD 25.56
799.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$13.73 LYD 88.0
290.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$10.85 LYD 69.5
559.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$7.74 LYD 49.62
351.03%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$39.51 LYD 253
1150.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$945 LYD 6,055
1154.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$19.54 LYD 125
176.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$17.60 LYD 113
214.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$64.6 LYD 414
20.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$15.66 LYD 100
408.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$158 LYD 1,011
399.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$78.2 LYD 501
915.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$229 LYD 1,466
1622.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$110 LYD 705
1189.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$281 LYD 1,802
2357.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$185 LYD 1,183
563.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Sabratha
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$189 LYD 1,212
356.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
0
-

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sabratha: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Sabratha
$78 90.2% $716
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Sabratha
$113 67.9% $239
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Sabratha
$36 83% $176
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Sabratha
$110 40.9% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Sabratha
$53 56% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Sabratha
$11 * 87.6% $77
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Sabratha
$5.2 * 94% $82

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 $158 in Sabratha. 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 357% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $9.00 in Sabratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $113 – making Sabratha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇱🇾 Sabratha
🕒 Local time
11:40 11:40 AM
19:40 7:40 PM
8 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
83,398
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Sabratha 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Sabratha compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $406 in Sabratha – roughly 353% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Sabratha?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $609 in Sabratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and Sabratha?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabratha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $9.00 in Sabratha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 211% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sabratha, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sabratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Sabratha?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $406 in Sabratha to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Sabratha safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Sabratha?
If budget matters most, go with Sabratha. 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.

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