Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zebbug

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,935 in Zebbug, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zebbug outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zebbug

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,935 in Zebbug, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zebbug $1,935

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,072 in Zebbug, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zebbug $3,072

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,208 in Zebbug, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zebbug $4,208

Nosara is about 5% cheaper than Zebbug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Zebbug sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Zebbug by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.75 €17.57

-37.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$79.6 €70.8

-23.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.23 €6.43

4.01%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.08 €2.74

43.18%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.26 €2.01

-23.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.09 €0.97

20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.59 €4.08

-28.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.76 €4.24

-6.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.30 €1.16

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.39 €1.24

117.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.58 €3.18

-29.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.39 €3.91

-18.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.18 €9.06

-27.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.79 €10.49

-10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.45 €16.41

-24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.66 €3.26

-35.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.79 €2.48

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.85 €3.43

24.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.68 €3.27

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.93 €1.71

96.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.44 €3.06

7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.27 €2.02

-50.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.51 €1.34

76.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.16 €5.48

-15.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.77 €5.14

244.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.46 €2.19

17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.33 €2.07

55.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.39 €2.13

-53.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.89 €3.46

-44.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.82 €1.62

-13.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$32.86 €29.23

-74.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.46 €1.30

4.11%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.4K €24.4K

-21.09%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.5K €34.2K

-10.30%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$158 €140

-39.01%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$31.32 €27.86

14.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.42 €26.17

82.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$59.6 €53.0

20.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.30 €10.05

-30.18%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$275 €245

79.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.5K €11.1K

-4.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.3 €50.1

-4.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$67.6 €60.1

-18.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 €97.4

-28.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$130 €116

-38.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,232 €1,096

-36.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$845 €752

-5.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,763 €1,568

123.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,637 €1,456

-13.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,894 €3,464

77.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,048 €2,711

-59.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.05

112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zebbug: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zebbug

$845 43.7% 6.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zebbug

$341 17.6% 3.2% $11

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zebbug

$263 13.6% 23.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zebbug

$219 11.3% 17.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zebbug

$163 8.5% 36.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zebbug

$82 4.3% 5.9% $5.1

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zebbug

$23 * 1.2% 74.1% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,232 in Zebbug. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $80.0 in Zebbug. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $341 in Zebbug – so Zebbug wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

04:35 4:35 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,770

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zebbug 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zebbug

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 Zebbug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,935 in Zebbug – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,903 in Zebbug. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $80.0 in Zebbug. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Zebbug – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Zebbug at $1,935. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zebbug 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $1,935 in Zebbug. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zebbug makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.