Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zadar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,687 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zadar

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,687 in Zadar, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zadar $1,687

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,572 in Zadar, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zadar $2,572

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,457 in Zadar, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zadar $3,457

Nosara costs about 9% more than Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Zadar sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Zadar by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.55 €12.95

-15.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$78.3 €69.7

-21.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.67 €6.83

-1.96%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.40 €2.13

83.75%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.96 €2.63

-41.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.19 €1.95

-40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.29 €2.92

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.54 €4.04

-1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.17 €1.04

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.63 €1.45

85.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.14 €2.79

-20.06%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.77 €3.35

-5.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.80 €9.61

-31.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.47 €8.43

11.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.03 €10.71

16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.98 €1.76

18.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.52 €1.35

5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.16 €1.92

122.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.60 €2.31

-38.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.21 €1.97

71.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.32 €1.18

179.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.32 €1.17

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.25 €1.12

112.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.59 €4.98

-7.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.83 €6.97

153.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.35 €1.20

114.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.41 €1.25

157.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.75 €1.56

-36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$43.69 €38.86

66.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.42 €3.04

-37.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.22 €1.97

-29.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.05 €19.61

-61.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.78 €1.59

-14.61%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.3K €23.4K

-17.70%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.1K €22.3K

37.56%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$182 €162

-47.17%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.01 €19.58

63.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$40.17 €35.73

33.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$56.1 €49.92

27.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.02 €15.14

105.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.58 €9.41

-25.43%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$240 €214

105.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,907 €6,144

71.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$88.4 €78.6

-38.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.68 €31.74

55.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$104 €92.7

-25.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$77.5 €69.0

2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$904 €804

-12.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$681 €606

16.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,460 €1,299

169.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,135 €1,009

25.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,481 €3,985

54.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,044 €3,597

-69.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,360 €1,210

-36.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.54

143.50%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zadar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zadar

$681 40.4% 14.2% $113

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zadar

$267 15.8% 24.2% $85

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zadar

$214 12.7% 1.2% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zadar

$244 14.5% 31.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zadar

$138 8.2% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zadar

$77 4.6% 11.6% $10

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zadar

$65 3.9% 25.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $904 in Zadar. 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 57% higher in Zadar, 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 $78.0 in Zadar. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $267 in Zadar – so Zadar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

67,309

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Zadar 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zadar

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 Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,687 in Zadar – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,531 in Zadar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 66% less in Zadar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $240 in Zadar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Zadar, where all-in costs run around $1,687, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zadar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Zadar has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,687 in Zadar 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 Zadar. 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.