Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zabljak

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zabljak

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,128 in Zabljak, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Zabljak $1,128

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,769 in Zabljak, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Zabljak $1,769

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,410 in Zabljak, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Zabljak $2,410

Nosara costs about 63% more than Zabljak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Zabljak is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$7.95 €7.08

55.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$31.82 €28.30

92.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.55 €5.82

18.47%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.63 €1.45

172.39%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.24 €2.00

-20.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.45 €1.29

-11.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.00 €2.66

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.54 €3.15

25.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.27 €1.13

22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.65 €0.57

373.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.31 €1.17

93.13%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.97 €2.64

16.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$7.08 €6.30

3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.22 €6.42

41.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.23 €10.88

15.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.32 €1.17

73.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.67 €1.49

-1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.51 €1.34

217.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.41 €1.26

16.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.65 €0.58

492.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.70 €0.62

435.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.91 €0.81

19.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.96 €0.86

169.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$4.01 €3.57

27.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.41 €3.92

351.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.07 €0.95

161.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.73 €1.54

103.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.63 €1.45

-25.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$39.55 €35.18

86.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.14 €1.02

90.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.64 €0.57

143.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$17.00 €15.12

-49.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.77 €1.57

-12.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.3K €26.1K

17.83%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$25.6K €22.7K

51.62%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$113 €101

-16.25%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$15.02 €13.36

140.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$22.02 €19.58

140.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$46.30 €41.18

59.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$14.72 €13.10

142.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.21 €5.53

27.38%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$392 €349

25.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,812 €8,728

21.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$22.65 €20.15

141.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$27.47 €24.43

103.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$55.0 €48.89

46.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$67.7 €60.2

15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$645 €573

24.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$455 €405

73.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,277 €1,135

213.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$937 €834

50.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,324 €2,956

112.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,357 €2,097

-47.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$801 €713

10.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.95

44.87%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Zabljak

$455 40.3% 42.4% $335

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Zabljak

$196 17.4% 43.9% $153

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Zabljak

$140 12.4% 34.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Zabljak

$150 13.3% 18.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Zabljak

$78 6.9% 35.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Zabljak

$59 5.2% 34.5% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Zabljak

$50 4.5% 43.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $645 in Zabljak. 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 11% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $32.00 in Zabljak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $196 – making Zabljak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,900

💱 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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Between locations

Nosara Zabljak 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zabljak

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 Zabljak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,128 in Zabljak – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,692 in Zabljak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 87% less in Zabljak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $392 in Zabljak. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zabljak, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Zabljak 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 $1,128 in Zabljak 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 Zabljak. 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.