Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Thiva

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiva: $1,135 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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 Thiva
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Thiva Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Thiva

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Thiva

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,135 in Thiva, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Thiva $1,135

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,551 in Thiva, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Thiva $1,551

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,966 in Thiva, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Thiva $1,966

Nosara costs about 62% more than Thiva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Thiva is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$11.10 €9.88

11.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$59.5 €52.9

3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.65 €5.92

16.69%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.48 €2.21

79.03%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.42 €2.15

-26.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.52 €0.46

148.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$4.59 €4.08

-29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.72 €2.42

62.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.55 €1.38

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.41 €1.26

118.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.30 €2.05

10.00%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$5.21 €4.63

-33.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.47 €10.20

-36.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$9.51 €8.46

7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$14.29 €12.71

-1.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.64 €1.45

39.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.94 €1.73

-15.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.10 €0.98

335.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.81 €1.61

-9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.95 €0.84

305.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.31 €1.17

186.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.88 €0.78

23.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.64 €0.57

304.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.79 €4.26

6.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.64 €5.91

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.70 €1.52

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.97 €1.75

78.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.33 €1.19

-8.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.71 €3.30

-41.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.14 €1.02

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$13.84 €12.31

-37.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.07 €1.85

-25.12%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.1K €25.0K

22.76%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$24.6K €21.8K

57.76%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$163 €145

-41.70%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$24.50 €21.80

47.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$28.35 €25.22

87.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$49.46 €43.99

49.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$25.64 €22.80

38.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.78 €6.92

1.67%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$331 €294

48.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,491 €3,994

164.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$50.1 €44.59

9.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$34.23 €30.45

63.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$75.4 €67.1

6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$107 €94.9

-26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$338 €300

137.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$281 €250

180.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$616 €548

550.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,723 €1,532

310.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,408 €1,253

-12.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,142 €1,016

-22.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.36

97.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Thiva: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Thiva

$281 24.8% 64.4% $508

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Thiva

$260 22.9% 25.6% $89

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Thiva

$179 15.7% 16% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Thiva

$216 19% 17.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Thiva

$120 10.6% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Thiva

$65 5.7% 27.4% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Thiva

$15 * 1.3% 83.4% $74

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 $338 in Thiva. 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 29% higher in Thiva, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $59.0 in Thiva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $260 – making Thiva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Thiva

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

22,883

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Thiva 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Thiva

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 Thiva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,135 in Thiva – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,703 in Thiva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thiva, 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 $59.0 in Thiva. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thiva, where all-in costs run around $1,135, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Thiva 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 $1,135 in Thiva 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 Thiva. 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.