Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zahlah

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $997 in Zahlah, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zahlah $997

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,599 in Zahlah, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zahlah $1,599

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,201 in Zahlah, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zahlah $2,201

Nosara costs about 84% more than Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Zahlah is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

3.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

-12.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

-23.65%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

-2.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

-27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

43.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

-34.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

-7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

-19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

247.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

12.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

-33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

-5.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

-2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

196.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

8.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

201.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

129.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

274.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

76.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

84.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

128.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

46.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

-55.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

-29.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

-61.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

46.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

-60.12%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

6.85%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$233 LBP 20.9M

-58.75%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

60.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

42.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

-19.57%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$675 LBP 60.4M

-26.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

13.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

-19.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

14.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$138 LBP 12.3M

-43.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$119 LBP 10.6M

-32.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zahlah

$274 27.4% 22.4% $79

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zahlah

$227 22.8% 7.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zahlah

$294 29.4% 58% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zahlah

$167 16.8% 39.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 77.5% $68

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 81.6% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $70.0 in Zahlah. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $274 in Zahlah – so Zahlah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

78,145

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Zahlah 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zahlah

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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $997 in Zahlah – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,496 in Zahlah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $70.0 in Zahlah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zahlah, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zahlah 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 $997 in Zahlah 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 Zahlah. 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.