Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
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Skardu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Skardu

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $426 in Skardu, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Skardu $426

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $636 in Skardu, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Skardu $636

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $847 in Skardu, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Skardu $847

Nosara costs about 331% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Skardu is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$1.84 PKR 509

570.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$11.31 PKR 3,132

442.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.65 PKR 1,286

66.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.68 PKR 464

164.29%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.31 PKR 84.5

477.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.18 PKR 50.3

616.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.86 PKR 238

80.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.59 PKR 164

422.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.16 PKR 320

118.10%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.20 PKR 333

187.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$5.40 PKR 1,494

35.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$2.50 PKR 691

309.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$5.02 PKR 1,389

180.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.10 PKR 305

108.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.54 PKR 149

203.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.79 PKR 220

506.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.55 PKR 153

198.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.28 PKR 76.3

1275.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.35 PKR 97.5

971.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.46 PKR 127

136.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.38 PKR 104

581.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.10 PKR 580

143.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.16 PKR 45.37

662.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$9.06 PKR 2,509

715.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.24 PKR 343

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.71 PKR 196

119.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$1.83 PKR 506

373.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.18 PKR 327

31.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

81.27%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

47.78%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

7.97%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$3.60 PKR 996

904.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$13.36 PKR 3,697

297.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$15.33 PKR 4,243

381.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$7.98 PKR 2,208

346.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$4.88 PKR 1,351

62.09%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

927.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

998.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$19.16 PKR 5,304

185.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$24.54 PKR 6,793

127.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

34.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$34.15 PKR 9,451

128.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$128 PKR 35.4K

526.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

908.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$250 PKR 69.3K

1500.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$139 PKR 38.4K

915.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

560.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$494 PKR 136.8K

150.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-33.69%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 90.1% $711

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 74.2% $259

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 76.1% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 43.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 48.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 72% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 83.7% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $128 in Skardu. 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 $11.00 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $90.0 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

11 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

260,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Skardu 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Skardu

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 Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $426 in Skardu – roughly 331% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $638 in Skardu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 716% less in Skardu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $47.71 in Skardu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Skardu 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 $426 in Skardu 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 Skardu. 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.