Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $551 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
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Shiraz Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Shiraz

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $551 in Shiraz, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Shiraz $551

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $810 in Shiraz, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Shiraz $810

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,069 in Shiraz, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Shiraz $1,069

Nosara costs about 234% more than Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Shiraz is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.62 $4.62

164.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$13.16 $13.16

357.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$3.92 $3.92

92.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 $1.03

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.17 $1.17

268.38%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.66 $0.66

160.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.67 $0.67

134.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.41 $0.41

673.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.90 $1.90

27.37%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.22 $1.22

192.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$2.35 $2.35

216.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.95 $2.95

253.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.81 $9.81

39.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.12 $1.12

107.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.54 $1.54

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.89 $0.89

432.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.55 $0.55

201.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.55 $0.55

576.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.55 $0.55

549.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.51 $0.51

115.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.17 $0.17

1400.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.87 $0.87

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 $0.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.04 $3.04

62.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.11 $0.11

981.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$3.09 $3.09

2232.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.38 $0.38

489.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.21 $0.21

638.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.44 $3.44

157.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$66.0K $66.0K

-66.95%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$53.1K $53.1K

-34.80%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$23.64 $23.64

295.30%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$2.06 $2.06

1604.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$17.07 $17.07

201.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$18.96 $18.96

276.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$13.51 $13.51

162.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$1.98 $1.98

295.96%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$104 $104

370.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,421 $2,421

390.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$22.81 $22.81

134.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$18.49 $18.49

201.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$95.2 $95.2

-16.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$56.0 $56.0

40.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$291 $291

170.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$217 $217

259.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$537 $537

618.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$321 $321

338.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,164 $1,164

499.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$503 $503

138.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$243 $243

261.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

24.3

-64.53%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shiraz: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Shiraz

$217 40% 72.2% $563

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Shiraz

$103 18.9% 70.7% $247

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Shiraz

$65 * 12.1% 68.8% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Shiraz

$43 7.9% 76.2% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Shiraz

$87 16% 28% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Shiraz

$23 4.2% 73.7% $64

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Shiraz

$5 0.9% 94.3% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $291 in Shiraz. 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 261% 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 $13.00 in Shiraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $103 – making Shiraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,565,572

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Shiraz 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Shiraz

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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $551 in Shiraz – roughly 234% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $826 in Shiraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2232% less in Shiraz. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $104 in Shiraz. 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 Shiraz, where all-in costs run around $551, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Shiraz 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 $551 in Shiraz 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 Shiraz. 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.