Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Semey

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Semey

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $712 in Semey, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Semey $712

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,147 in Semey, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Semey $1,147

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,581 in Semey, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Semey $1,581

Nosara costs about 158% more than Semey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Semey is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.00 ₸2,261

147.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$21.88 ₸9,891

179.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.48 ₸2,477

37.23%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.69 ₸764

160.95%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.79 ₸357

120.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.48 ₸216

172.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.85 ₸384

285.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.37 ₸621

226.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.99 ₸449

57.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.37 ₸165

716.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.86 ₸839

34.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.51 ₸681

136.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.36 ₸2,424

38.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.74 ₸1,691

181.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$5.28 ₸2,388

164.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.21 ₸547

94.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.73 ₸782

-6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.82 ₸821

163.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.67 ₸756

-3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.42 ₸189

804.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.56 ₸255

558.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.32 ₸595

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.99 ₸445

168.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.51 ₸1,134

106.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.13 ₸3,221

178.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.37 ₸617

111.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.20 ₸993

65.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.23 ₸104

386.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$17.26 ₸7,802

320.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.30 ₸588

64.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.15 ₸519

36.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$6.52 ₸2,949

30.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.68 ₸305

123.53%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.4K ₸11.5M

-14.76%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.9K ₸11.7M

33.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$32.84 ₸14.8K

193.21%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.06 ₸4,095

296.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$19.03 ₸8,604

181.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$42.09 ₸19.0K

70.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.97 ₸4,959

218.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.55 ₸2,058

73.41%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$135 ₸61.1K

265.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,484 ₸2.0M

164.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.65 ₸13.0K

88.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.32 ₸11.4K

118.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.0 ₸44.3K

-20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$74.0 ₸33.5K

7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$340 ₸153.6K

131.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$230 ₸103.8K

245.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$615 ₸278.1K

540.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$487 ₸220.1K

191.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,094 ₸494.4K

531.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$869 ₸392.9K

40.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

19.25

-55.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Semey: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Semey

$230 32.3% 71.1% $565

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Semey

$155 21.7% 56.1% $198

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Semey

$89 12.5% 58.1% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Semey

$61 8.6% 67.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Semey

$102 14.3% 15.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Semey

$51 7.2% 41.4% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Semey

$25 3.5% 71.1% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $340 in Semey. 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 Semey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $155 – making Semey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇿 Semey

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

14:39 2:39 PM

12 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

310,456

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Nosara Semey 13,160 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Semey

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 Semey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $712 in Semey – roughly 158% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,068 in Semey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 321% less in Semey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $135 in Semey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Semey, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Semey 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 $712 in Semey 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 Semey. 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.