Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $759 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zakho

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $759 in Zakho, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Zakho $759

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,210 in Zakho, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Zakho $1,210

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,661 in Zakho, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Zakho $1,661

Nosara costs about 142% more than Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Zakho is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.52 IQD 9,855

89.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

68.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.08 IQD 10.7K

9.60%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.38 IQD 5,101

31.36%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.90 IQD 1,356

98.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.36 IQD 550

258.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$5.36 IQD 8,101

-39.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.06 IQD 6,130

9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.07 IQD 1,613

44.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.67 IQD 1,019

359.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.47 IQD 2,221

72.11%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.52 IQD 2,290

126.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$7.21 IQD 10.9K

1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.32 IQD 6,524

137.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.87 IQD 19.4K

9.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$0.97 IQD 1,463

136.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.95 IQD 1,437

72.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.02 IQD 1,543

369.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$0.69 IQD 1,046

137.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.59 IQD 895

552.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.58 IQD 874

546.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.66 IQD 997

65.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.51 IQD 777

407.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.11 IQD 3,189

142.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.84 IQD 16.4K

83.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.45 IQD 2,197

93.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.84 IQD 2,782

91.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.39 IQD 594

212.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$20.25 IQD 30.6K

264.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.64 IQD 2,474

32.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$5.53 IQD 8,350

56.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.57 IQD 863

171.93%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

106.52%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$17.3K IQD 26.2M

123.35%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$113 IQD 170.8K

-16.14%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$11.83 IQD 17.9K

205.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

120.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$37.45 IQD 56.6K

97.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$9.95 IQD 15.0K

-20.50%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$313 IQD 473.3K

56.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,762 IQD 4.2M

330.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

108.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$19.70 IQD 29.8K

183.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$49.08 IQD 74.2K

63.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$40.75 IQD 61.6K

91.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$172 IQD 260.4K

364.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$132 IQD 199.9K

496.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$379 IQD 572.2K

957.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$308 IQD 466.0K

356.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$711 IQD 1.1M

893.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$576 IQD 870.1K

114.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$660 IQD 997.7K

34.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.53

240.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zakho: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Zakho

$132 17.4% 83.2% $657

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Zakho

$174 22.9% 50.3% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Zakho

$154 20.3% 27.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Zakho

$149 19.6% 19.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Zakho

$61 8.1% 49.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Zakho

$57 7.6% 36% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Zakho

$31 4.2% 64.5% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $172 in Zakho. 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 34% 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 $36.00 in Zakho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $174 – making Zakho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

01:11 1:11 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

197,163

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zakho 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $759 in Zakho – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,138 in Zakho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 265% less in Zakho. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $313 in Zakho. 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 Zakho, where all-in costs run around $759, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Zakho 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 $759 in Zakho 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 Zakho. 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.