Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Utena

For one person, living is cheaper in Utena: $1,317 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Utena
Learn more

Utena Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Utena

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Utena

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,317 in Utena, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Utena $1,317

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,028 in Utena, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Utena $2,028

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,739 in Utena, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Utena $2,739

Nosara costs about 39% more than Utena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Utena is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$12.22 €10.87

0.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$50.7 €45.13

20.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.77 €6.02

14.62%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.15 €2.80

40.95%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.65 €2.36

-32.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.85 €1.64

-30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$5.50 €4.89

-41.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.04 €4.48

-12.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.22 €1.08

27.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.51 €1.34

103.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.74 €1.55

45.40%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.82 €2.51

22.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.08 €8.96

-27.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.60 €4.98

82.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$9.72 €8.65

45.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.61 €1.43

42.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.39 €1.24

17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.70 €1.51

181.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.95 €2.63

-44.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.74 €0.66

420.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.98 €0.87

282.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.47 €1.31

-25.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.78 €0.70

232.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.74 €5.11

-10.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.22 €7.32

142.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.59 €1.42

76.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.74 €1.55

102.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.13 €1.01

7.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$32.66 €29.05

126.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.14 €2.79

-30.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.81 €0.72

92.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$13.14 €11.69

-34.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.81 €1.61

-14.36%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.2K €24.2K

27.11%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$28.0K €24.9K

38.49%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$208 €185

-54.34%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$13.18 €11.73

174.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$11.32 €10.07

368.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$39.99 €35.57

84.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$22.23 €19.78

60.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.89 €7.91

-11.02%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$471 €419

4.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,278 €8,253

28.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$136 €121

-59.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$63.9 €56.9

-12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$79.3 €70.5

1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$179 €160

-56.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$532 €474

50.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$347 €308

127.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$813 €723

392.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$630 €560

123.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,058 €2,720

131.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,829 €1,627

-32.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,222 €1,087

-27.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.97

117.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Utena: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Utena

$347 26.3% 56.1% $443

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Utena

$218 16.6% 37.6% $131

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Utena

$211 16.1% 0.6% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Utena

$232 17.6% 26.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Utena

$207 15.7% 70.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Utena

$58 4.4% 35.5% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Utena

$44 3.4% 50% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $532 in Utena. 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 38% higher in Utena, 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 $51.0 in Utena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $218 – making Utena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇹 Utena

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

28,997

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Utena 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Utena

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 Utena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,317 in Utena – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,976 in Utena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 126% less in Utena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $471 in Utena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Utena, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Utena 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 $1,317 in Utena 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 Utena. 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.