Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Stavanger

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $3,140 in Stavanger, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Stavanger $3,140

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $4,513 in Stavanger, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Stavanger $4,513

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $5,886 in Stavanger, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Stavanger $5,886

Nosara is about 41% cheaper than Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Stavanger sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Stavanger by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$24.58 NOK 235

-50.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$97.3 NOK 929

-38.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$15.95 NOK 152

-52.73%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$6.25 NOK 59.7

-31.04%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$5.41 NOK 51.7

-68.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$4.25 NOK 40.57

-68.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$13.66 NOK 130

-76.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$11.78 NOK 112

-61.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.37 NOK 22.61

-33.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.47 NOK 33.14

-8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.83 NOK 36.59

-36.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.70 NOK 44.87

-24.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.36 NOK 137

-48.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$16.81 NOK 161

-38.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$34.43 NOK 329

-60.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.42 NOK 32.68

-32.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.72 NOK 26.00

-40.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.54 NOK 33.78

33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.91 NOK 46.90

-66.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.55 NOK 24.35

45.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$3.12 NOK 29.79

14.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.81 NOK 26.81

-60.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.34 NOK 22.33

8.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$17.13 NOK 164

-71.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$18.45 NOK 176

8.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.72 NOK 35.54

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.45 NOK 42.52

-20.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$4.76 NOK 45.49

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$87.0 NOK 831

-17.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$6.09 NOK 58.2

-63.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.75 NOK 16.69

-11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$103 NOK 981

-91.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.36 NOK 22.50

-33.47%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

-53.90%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

-14.30%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$245 NOK 2,337

-61.81%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$35.29 NOK 337

-0.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$81.6 NOK 779

-36.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$50.3 NOK 480

41.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$36.81 NOK 352

-3.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$22.03 NOK 210

-64.41%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$322 NOK 3,080

51.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

-15.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$127 NOK 1,212

-57.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$60.1 NOK 574

-7.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$153 NOK 1,459

-48.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$204 NOK 1,948

-61.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

-52.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

-43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

39.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

-30.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

12.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

-77.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

-82.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.27

63.57%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6% 76.9% $600

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Stavanger

$513 16.2% 46.7% $163

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Stavanger

$450 14.2% 115% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Stavanger

$362 11.4% 101% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Stavanger

$245 7.7% 103% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Stavanger

$94 3% 8.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Stavanger

$121 3.8% 39.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,658 in Stavanger. 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 465% higher in Stavanger, 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 $97.0 in Stavanger. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $513 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

149,330

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Stavanger 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $3,140 in Stavanger – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $4,710 in Stavanger. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 21% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $322 in Stavanger. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Stavanger at $3,140. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $3,140 in Stavanger. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.