Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zapresic

For one person, living is cheaper in Zapresic: $1,516 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Zapresic
Learn more

Zapresic Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zapresic

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zapresic

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,516 in Zapresic, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zapresic $1,516

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,258 in Zapresic, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zapresic $2,258

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,000 in Zapresic, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zapresic $3,000

Nosara costs about 21% more than Zapresic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Zapresic sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Zapresic by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$11.02 €9.84

12.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$55.7 €49.77

9.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$8.87 €7.92

-15.22%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.74 €2.44

60.95%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$2.97 €2.65

-41.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$2.60 €2.32

-49.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$3.29 €2.94

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$4.43 €3.96

0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.20 €1.08

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.50 €1.34

101.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.58 €2.31

-2.71%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$3.42 €3.05

4.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$11.62 €10.37

-36.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$8.56 €7.65

22.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$11.58 €10.34

20.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.66 €1.49

41.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.64 €1.46

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.82 €1.62

163.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.60 €2.32

-38.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.33 €1.18

185.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.15 €1.02

220.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.18 €1.05

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.15 €1.02

131.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$5.60 €5.00

-7.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$7.92 €7.07

151.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.64 €1.46

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.99 €1.78

82.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.59 €1.42

-29.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$43.56 €38.90

66.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$2.17 €1.94

-1.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.09 €0.97

44.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$11.66 €10.41

-26.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.83 €1.63

-16.94%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.0K €23.2K

-16.79%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.3K €21.7K

41.91%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$190 €170

-49.43%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.01 €19.66

63.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$41.02 €36.63

30.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$52.2 €46.61

37.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.20 €11.79

164.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$9.16 €8.18

-13.86%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$427 €381

15.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,227 €3,775

180.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$102 €90.7

-46.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$39.24 €35.04

41.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$96.5 €86.1

-19.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$107 €95.8

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$689 €615

14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$530 €473

49.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,188 €1,061

231.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$855 €763

66.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,088 €3,651

69.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$2,915 €2,603

-58.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$1,562 €1,395

-44.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.72

131.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zapresic: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zapresic

$530 35% 33.3% $264

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zapresic

$255 16.8% 27.7% $98

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zapresic

$195 12.9% 7.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zapresic

$253 16.7% 36.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zapresic

$155 10.2% 29.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zapresic

$71 4.7% 19.3% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zapresic

$58 3.8% 34% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $689 in Zapresic. 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 81% higher in Zapresic, 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 $56.0 in Zapresic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $255 – making Zapresic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇭🇷 Zapresic

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

24,133

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zapresic 10,080 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zapresic

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 Zapresic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,516 in Zapresic – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,275 in Zapresic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 67% less in Zapresic. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $427 in Zapresic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zapresic, where all-in costs run around $1,516, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zapresic 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 $1,516 in Zapresic 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 Zapresic. 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.