Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
Learn more

Sveti Nikole Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sveti Nikole

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $847 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Sveti Nikole $847

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,299 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Sveti Nikole $1,299

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,752 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Sveti Nikole $1,752

Nosara costs about 117% more than Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$8.91 MKD 488

37.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$34.23 MKD 1,876

75.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.31 MKD 291

42.00%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.62 MKD 88.8

166.05%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.40 MKD 76.7

22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.98 MKD 53.6

37.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.59 MKD 87.0

103.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.81 MKD 99.1

147.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.30 MKD 71.1

20.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.59 MKD 32.37

437.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.15 MKD 63.2

110.43%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.50 MKD 137

42.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.98 MKD 492

-17.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.62 MKD 253

125.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.02 MKD 659

13.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.35 MKD 74.0

71.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.24 MKD 67.8

29.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.23 MKD 67.7

285.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.70 MKD 93.3

-2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.74 MKD 40.77

402.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.16 MKD 63.8

207.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.80 MKD 43.74

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.42 MKD 23.08

507.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.03 MKD 166

63.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.41 MKD 351

212.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.98 MKD 53.5

184.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.42 MKD 77.7

148.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.72 MKD 39.23

65.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$23.30 MKD 1,277

209.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.43 MKD 78.6

56.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.99 MKD 54.1

56.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.71 MKD 203

138.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.47 MKD 80.7

6.80%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

-36.59%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

26.86%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$128 MKD 7,030

-27.15%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$15.35 MKD 841

128.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$11.85 MKD 649

334.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$22.65 MKD 1,241

215.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$16.14 MKD 884

119.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.93 MKD 270

59.03%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$303 MKD 16.6K

61.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

284.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$72.7 MKD 3,982

-26.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$31.69 MKD 1,736

75.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$82.5 MKD 4,523

-3.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$85.5 MKD 4,684

-7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$239 MKD 13.1K

229.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$182 MKD 9,990

327.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$539 MKD 29.5K

616.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$262 MKD 14.3K

437.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

363.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

4.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$548 MKD 30.0K

60.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.23

103.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9% 76.6% $598

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7% 48.3% $169

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3% 39% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7% 13.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7% 1.8% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 62.7% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 62.5% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $239 in Sveti Nikole. 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 60% 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 $34.00 in Sveti Nikole. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $181 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,220

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sveti Nikole 10,680 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sveti Nikole

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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $847 in Sveti Nikole – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,271 in Sveti Nikole. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 209% less in Sveti Nikole. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $303 in Sveti Nikole. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $847, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sveti Nikole 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 $847 in Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole. 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.