Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tarxien

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,989 in Tarxien, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Tarxien
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Tarxien Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Tarxien

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tarxien

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,989 in Tarxien, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Tarxien $1,989

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,162 in Tarxien, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Tarxien $3,162

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,335 in Tarxien, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Tarxien $4,335

Nosara is about 8% cheaper than Tarxien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Tarxien sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Tarxien by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.37 €19.90

-44.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$88.2 €78.4

-30.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.21 €11.75

-43.07%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.10 €2.76

42.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.44 €2.17

-28.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.90 €1.69

-31.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.51 €4.90

-40.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.50 €5.78

-31.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.37 €1.22

13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.45 €1.29

108.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.40 €3.02

-26.18%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.29 €3.81

-16.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.21 €9.08

-27.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.09 €10.76

-12.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.48 €16.44

-24.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.67 €3.27

-35.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.68 €2.38

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.77 €3.36

27.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.81 €3.39

-57.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.92 €1.71

97.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.32 €2.96

11.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.18 €1.94

-48.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.50 €1.33

77.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.12 €5.44

-15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.87 €5.22

238.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.46 €2.19

17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.28 €2.03

59.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.02 €1.80

-44.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.99 €3.55

-46.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.77 €1.57

-11.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$32.01 €28.47

-73.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.52 €1.35

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.4K €25.3K

-23.95%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.3K €34.1K

-9.87%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$154 €137

-37.29%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$31.65 €28.16

13.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.76 €26.47

80.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$55.7 €49.56

28.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.27 €10.03

-29.99%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$277 €246

78.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.2K €10.8K

-2.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.9 €51.5

-6.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$68.8 €61.2

-19.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$113 €101

-31.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$128 €114

-37.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,255 €1,116

-37.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$853 €759

-6.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,942 €1,728

102.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,631 €1,451

-13.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,683 €3,276

87.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,954 €2,627

-58.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.05

112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tarxien: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Tarxien

$853 42.9% 7.4% $59

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Tarxien

$342 17.2% 3% $10

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Tarxien

$314 15.8% 48.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Tarxien

$215 10.8% 15.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Tarxien

$165 8.3% 37.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tarxien

$78 3.9% 10.4% $9.1

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Tarxien

$21 * 1.1% 76% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,255 in Tarxien. 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 $88.0 in Tarxien. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $342 in Tarxien – so Tarxien wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Tarxien

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

14:41 2:41 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,600

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Tarxien 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tarxien

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 Tarxien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,989 in Tarxien – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,983 in Tarxien. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $88.0 in Tarxien. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Tarxien – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Tarxien at $1,989. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tarxien 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $1,989 in Tarxien. 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, Tarxien makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.