Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Umag

For one person, living is cheaper in Umag: $1,532 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Umag
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Umag Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Umag

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Umag

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,532 in Umag, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Umag $1,532

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,439 in Umag, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Umag $2,439

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,345 in Umag, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Umag $3,345

Nosara costs about 20% more than Umag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nosara and Umag sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Umag by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$12.31 €10.99

0.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$63.5 €56.7

-3.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$7.93 €7.08

-5.17%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.18 €1.95

102.29%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$2.98 €2.66

-41.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$2.25 €2.01

-41.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$3.33 €2.97

-1.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$4.48 €4.00

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.24 €1.11

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.60 €1.43

88.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.72 €2.43

-7.72%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$3.89 €3.47

-8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$14.81 €13.23

-49.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$11.80 €10.53

-10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$17.92 €16.00

-22.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.29 €2.05

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.79 €1.60

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.05 €1.83

134.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.51 €2.24

-35.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.30 €1.16

192.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.13 €1.01

226.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.18 €1.05

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.39 €1.25

91.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$5.90 €5.27

-12.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$10.09 €9.01

97.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.68 €1.50

72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$2.56 €2.28

41.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.81 €1.62

-38.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$39.73 €35.48

82.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$2.22 €1.98

-3.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.36 €1.21

15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$11.94 €10.66

-28.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.92 €1.71

-20.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.7K €24.7K

-21.97%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.9K €24.0K

28.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$215 €192

-55.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.92 €20.47

56.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$40.61 €36.27

31.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$52.1 €46.54

37.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.38 €13.74

126.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$8.39 €7.49

-5.96%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$495 €442

-0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,808 €8,758

20.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$107 €95.4

-49.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$43.30 €38.67

27.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$94.7 €84.6

-17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$110 €98.3

-27.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$673 €601

17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$458 €409

73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,148 €1,025

243.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$977 €873

45.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,640 €4,143

48.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$2,948 €2,632

-58.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.3

161.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Umag: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Umag

$458 29.9% 42.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Umag

$316 20.6% 10.2% $36

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Umag

$195 12.7% 8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Umag

$278 18.2% 49.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Umag

$160 10.4% 33% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Umag

$69 4.5% 21.2% $18

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Umag

$56 3.7% 35.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $673 in Umag. 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 $64.0 in Umag. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $316 in Umag – so Umag wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇭🇷 Umag

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

12:17 12:17 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Umag 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Umag

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 Umag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,532 in Umag – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,298 in Umag. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 83% less in Umag. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $495 in Umag. 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 Umag, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Umag 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 $1,532 in Umag to $1,839 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 Umag. 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.