Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Shchelkovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shchelkovo: $912 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Shchelkovo
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Shchelkovo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Shchelkovo

🇷🇺 Russia

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Shchelkovo

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $912 in Shchelkovo, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Shchelkovo $912

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,440 in Shchelkovo, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Shchelkovo $1,440

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,969 in Shchelkovo, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Shchelkovo $1,969

Nosara costs about 101% more than Shchelkovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Shchelkovo is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.01 ₽502

105.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$30.10 ₽2,512

103.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.70 ₽643

0.78%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.86 ₽239

55.24%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.98 ₽82.0

82.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.60 ₽49.92

115.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$0.94 ₽78.4

244.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.47 ₽123

201.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.94 ₽78.4

64.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.87 ₽72.2

254.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.19 ₽99.2

112.61%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.62 ₽135

112.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.17 ₽766

-20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.14 ₽429

99.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.94 ₽997

18.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.59 ₽132

44.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.41 ₽118

16.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.61 ₽134

197.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.65 ₽221

-38.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.72 ₽60.1

434.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.40 ₽33.64

837.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.47 ₽122

-25.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.40 ₽33.32

547.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.16 ₽180

137.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.13 ₽595

179.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.78 ₽65.0

258.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.55 ₽129

127.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.49 ₽41.28

148.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.44 ₽204

-11.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.20 ₽17.09

680.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$3.58 ₽299

142.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.88 ₽73.3

76.14%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$53.1K ₽4.4M

-34.94%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$40.6K ₽3.4M

-4.65%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$106 ₽8,811

-10.19%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$3.71 ₽310

874.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$4.90 ₽409

982.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$40.44 ₽3,375

82.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$26.67 ₽2,226

33.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.21 ₽518

27.38%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$183 ₽15.3K

167.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,642 ₽304.0K

226.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$42.86 ₽3,577

27.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$23.86 ₽1,991

134.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$147 ₽12.2K

-45.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$119 ₽9,971

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$516 ₽43.1K

55.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$281 ₽23.4K

181.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$866 ₽72.2K

362.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$543 ₽45.3K

159.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,362 ₽197.1K

199.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,410 ₽117.7K

-12.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

20.75

-58.46%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Shchelkovo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Shchelkovo

$281 30.8% 64.4% $509

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Shchelkovo

$189 20.8% 45.9% $160

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Shchelkovo

$119 13.1% 43.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Shchelkovo

$114 12.5% 38% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Shchelkovo

$150 16.4% 23.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Shchelkovo

$53 5.8% 41% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Shchelkovo

$5.4 * 0.6% 93.9% $83

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $516 in Shchelkovo. 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 $30.00 in Shchelkovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $189 – making Shchelkovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇺 Shchelkovo

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

18:01 6:01 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Shchelkovo 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Shchelkovo

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 Shchelkovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $912 in Shchelkovo – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,368 in Shchelkovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shchelkovo, 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 $30.00 in Shchelkovo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shchelkovo, where all-in costs run around $912, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Shchelkovo 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 $912 in Shchelkovo to $1,835 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 Shchelkovo. 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.