Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Side

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,153 in Side, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Side $1,153

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,793 in Side, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Side $1,793

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,432 in Side, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Side $2,432

Nosara costs about 59% more than Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Side is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$10.25 ₺507

20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$30.35 ₺1,502

102.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.86 ₺488

-21.30%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.63 ₺179

22.31%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.20 ₺109

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.39 ₺19.35

230.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$4.10 ₺203

-20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.92 ₺293

-25.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.05 ₺52.2

47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.96 ₺47.29

220.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.62 ₺130

-3.44%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.22 ₺110

55.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$13.36 ₺661

-45.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.05 ₺299

69.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$26.37 ₺1,305

-46.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.54 ₺76.1

48.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.39 ₺118

-31.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.44 ₺71.4

232.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.23 ₺60.8

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.78 ₺38.78

393.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.75 ₺36.99

400.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.81 ₺89.7

-39.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.76 ₺37.73

240.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.80 ₺138

82.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$13.96 ₺691

42.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.76 ₺87.1

59.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.13 ₺155

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.63 ₺31.41

93.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.23 ₺61.0

76.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.03 ₺51.1

51.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$6.88 ₺341

26.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.53 ₺75.9

1.31%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-17.70%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$38.0K ₺1.9M

2.01%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$76.1 ₺3,765

24.68%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$10.50 ₺520

244.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$23.39 ₺1,158

126.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$57.1 ₺2,826

29.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.93 ₺393

-0.25%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$499 ₺24.7K

-1.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,527 ₺471.7K

24.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$44.49 ₺2,203

23.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$59.1 ₺2,926

-5.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$154 ₺7,612

-47.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$121 ₺5,967

-35.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$478 ₺23.6K

67.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$308 ₺15.2K

156.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$763 ₺37.8K

425.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$562 ₺27.8K

150.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,548 ₺76.7K

356.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$913 ₺45.2K

35.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

38.25

-77.46%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Side

$308 26.7% 61% $482

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Side

$286 24.8% 18.2% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Side

$198 17.2% 7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Side

$110 9.5% 40.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Side

$170 14.7% 40.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Side

$73 6.3% 18.6% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Side

$8.9 * 0.8% 89.9% $80

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 $478 in Side. 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 Side. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $286 – making Side the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,500

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Side 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,153 in Side – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,730 in Side. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 22% 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 Side, where all-in costs run around $1,153, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Side 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 $1,153 in Side 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 Side. 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.