Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Žalec

For one person, living is cheaper in Žalec: $1,668 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
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Žalec Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Žalec

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,668 in Žalec, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Žalec $1,668

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,408 in Žalec, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Žalec $2,408

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,148 in Žalec, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Žalec $3,148

Nosara costs about 10% more than Žalec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Žalec sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Žalec by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.00 €8.89

23.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.77 €36.27

50.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.91 €7.03

-4.93%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.93 €1.71

128.50%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.15 €2.80

-44.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.69 €1.51

-22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.84 €3.41

-14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.82 €3.39

17.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.37 €1.21

13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.23 €1.98

35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.82 €1.62

37.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.07 €3.62

-12.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.11 €8.10

-18.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.70 €8.62

8.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.04 €13.38

-7.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.91 €1.70

23.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.59 €1.42

1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.95 €1.73

146.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.75 €2.44

-41.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.03 €0.91

268.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.81 €0.72

355.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.36 €1.21

-16.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.71 €0.63

274.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.12 €5.44

-15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.62 €5.89

200.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.39 €1.23

108.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.90 €1.69

91.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.39 €1.24

-19.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$33.91 €30.17

114.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.94 €1.73

10.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.31 €1.16

19.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$18.74 €16.67

-54.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.69 €1.50

-10.06%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.9K €25.7K

-25.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.9K €22.1K

38.79%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$285 €254

-66.22%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.58 €14.75

116.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.32 €25.19

89.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$64.9 €57.7

10.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.09 €8.97

-21.80%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$651 €579

-24.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$14.2K €12.6K

-16.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$93.8 €83.4

-42.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.66 €32.61

51.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 €98.3

-29.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$123 €109

-35.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$709 €631

11.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$605 €538

31.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,178 €1,048

234.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,003 €892

41.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,312 €2,946

108.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,285 €2,922

-62.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,466 €1,304

-41.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.56

142.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Žalec: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Žalec

$605 36.3% 23.8% $189

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Žalec

$264 15.8% 25.2% $89

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Žalec

$173 10.4% 18.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Žalec

$330 19.8% 77.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Žalec

$164 9.8% 36.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Žalec

$85 5.1% 2.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Žalec

$48 2.9% 44.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $709 in Žalec. 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 70% higher in Žalec, 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 $41.00 in Žalec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $264 – making Žalec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇮 Žalec

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Žalec 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Žalec

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 Žalec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,668 in Žalec – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,502 in Žalec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 114% less in Žalec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $651 in Žalec. 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 Žalec, where all-in costs run around $1,668, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Žalec 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 $1,668 in Žalec 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 Žalec. 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.