Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zejtun

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,943 in Zejtun, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zejtun outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Zejtun
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Zejtun Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Zejtun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zejtun

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,943 in Zejtun, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Zejtun $1,943

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,975 in Zejtun, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Zejtun $2,975

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,007 in Zejtun, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Zejtun $4,007

Nosara is about 5% cheaper than Zejtun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Zejtun sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Zejtun by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.67 €20.17

-45.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$88.8 €79.0

-31.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.25 €11.79

-43.25%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.20 €1.95

100.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.31 €2.06

-24.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.86 €0.76

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.43 €4.83

-39.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.55 €5.83

-31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.32 €1.17

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.39 €1.24

117.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.53 €3.14

-28.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.32 €3.85

-17.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.46 €9.31

-28.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.05 €10.72

-12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.86 €15.88

-21.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.75 €3.33

-37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.78 €2.47

-42.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.86 €3.43

24.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.70 €3.29

-56.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.87 €1.66

103.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.43 €3.05

7.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.25 €2.00

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.56 €1.39

70.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.26 €5.57

-17.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.99 €5.32

231.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.39 €2.13

21.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.26 €2.01

60.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.42 €2.15

-53.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.85 €3.42

-44.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.76 €1.57

-10.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$33.12 €29.46

-74.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.49 €1.32

2.01%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.6K €24.5K

-21.68%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.1K €34.7K

-11.61%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$55.9 €49.70

72.35%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.65 €20.14

58.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.53 €26.27

81.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$61.2 €54.5

16.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.93 €8.83

-20.54%

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

$12.3K €10.9K

-3.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.2 €50.0

-4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.62 €24.57

100.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$113 €100

-30.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$130 €115

-38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,144 €1,018

-31.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$942 €838

-15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,563 €1,390

152.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,473 €1,310

-3.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,497 €4,000

53.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,627 €2,337

-53.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,212 €1,078

-28.75%

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 Zejtun: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Zejtun

$942 48.5% 18.6% $148

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Zejtun

$342 17.6% 3% $11

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Zejtun

$300 15.5% 41.8% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Zejtun

$108 5.6% 41.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Zejtun

$147 7.6% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zejtun

$81 4.2% 7.2% $6.3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Zejtun

$22 * 1.2% 74.4% $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 $1,144 in Zejtun. 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 40% higher in Zejtun, 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 $89.0 in Zejtun. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $342 in Zejtun – so Zejtun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 Zejtun

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

11,508

💱 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 Zejtun 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zejtun

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 Zejtun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,943 in Zejtun – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,914 in Zejtun. 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 $89.0 in Zejtun. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Zejtun – 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 Zejtun at $1,943. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zejtun 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 $1,943 in Zejtun. 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, Zejtun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.