Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Sharm El Sheikh
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Sharm El Sheikh Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $455 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sharm El Sheikh $455

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $706 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sharm El Sheikh $706

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $956 in Sharm El Sheikh, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sharm El Sheikh $956

Nosara costs about 304% more than Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sharm El Sheikh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.17 E£1,237

164.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.87 E£260

54.41%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.23 E£119

97.76%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.33 E£17.57

427.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.59 E£31.40

122.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.79 E£202

-13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.66 E£249

-4.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.82 E£43.80

90.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.45 E£24.03

457.78%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.21 E£64.5

195.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.75 E£200

180.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.55 E£82.9

51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.45 E£24.00

257.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.45 E£24.12

966.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.27 E£14.28

496.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.17 E£116

138.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.48 E£78.8

95.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.10 E£5.23

1020.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.46 E£24.81

230.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.7K E£1.7M

-33.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.8K E£1.2M

58.39%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.34 E£605

216.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.77 E£1,483

92.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$359 E£19.2K

119.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$287 E£15.3K

176.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$622 E£33.2K

532.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$530 E£28.3K

167.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$948 E£50.6K

628.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$665 E£35.5K

83.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$151 E£8,062

471.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

26.5

-67.47%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

$287 63.2% 63.8% $507

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12% 84.5% $298

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

$73 * 16.1% 65.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6% 78.9% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.4 * 0.1% 99.6% $87

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 $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. 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 472% 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $55.0 – making Sharm El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

38,478

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Sharm El Sheikh 12,310 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $455 in Sharm El Sheikh – roughly 304% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $682 in Sharm El Sheikh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh, 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $455 in Sharm El Sheikh. That's a gap of about 304%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharm El Sheikh, where all-in costs run around $455, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sharm El Sheikh 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 $455 in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh. 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.