Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zabbar

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Zabbar: $1,839 and $1,847 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zabbar

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,847 in Zabbar, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zabbar $1,847

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,659 in Zabbar, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zabbar $2,659

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,472 in Zabbar, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zabbar $3,472

Nosara and Zabbar have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Nosara and Zabbar sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Zabbar by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.06 €15.18

-27.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$38.38 €34.14

59.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.66 €6.81

-1.83%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.68 €2.39

64.55%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.28 €2.03

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.70 €0.62

87.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.26 €2.01

45.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.42 €3.93

1.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.15 €1.02

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.57 €0.51

429.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.14 €1.01

120.18%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.91 €3.48

-8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.69 €5.06

30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.37 €3.89

140.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.08 €8.96

38.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.27 €3.80

-44.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.73 €2.43

-41.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.55 €3.16

35.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.38 €3.01

-52.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.53 €2.25

50.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.97 €1.75

87.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.21 €1.97

-48.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.14 €1.02

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.52 €5.80

-20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.94 €7.07

150.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.68 €1.50

72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.40 €2.13

51.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.52 €2.25

-55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$16.81 €14.95

332.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.39 €4.79

-60.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.22 €1.97

-29.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.49 €23.57

-67.84%

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

$37.1K €33.0K

-41.76%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.7K €34.4K

-10.78%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$103 €91.9

-6.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$25.52 €22.70

40.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.11 €37.46

27.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$62.2 €55.3

15.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$11.03 €9.81

216.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.17 €9.05

-22.42%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$359 €320

37.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,249 €2,001

427.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$86.6 €77.0

-37.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.20 €36.65

34.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.6 €86.8

-20.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.8 €70.1

1.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,121 €997

-29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$951 €846

-16.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,788 €1,590

120.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,488 €1,324

-4.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,086 €3,635

69.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,051 €3,603

-69.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,131 €1,006

-23.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.9

197.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zabbar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zabbar

$951 51.5% 19.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zabbar

$239 12.9% 32.3% $114

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zabbar

$224 12.1% 5.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zabbar

$171 9.3% 8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zabbar

$137 7.4% 14% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zabbar

$83 4.5% 5.6% $4.9

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zabbar

$43 2.4% 50.2% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,121 in Zabbar. 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 31% higher in Zabbar. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $38.00 in Zabbar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $239 – making Zabbar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

14:27 2:27 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,404

💱 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 Zabbar 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zabbar

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 Zabbar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,770 in Zabbar. 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 $38.00 in Zabbar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 332% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Zabbar at $1,847. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zabbar 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 $1,847 in Zabbar. 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, Zabbar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.