Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novelda and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Novelda: $1,630 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Novelda
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Novelda Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Novelda

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,630

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Novelda and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Novelda and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,630 per month in Novelda vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Novelda $1,630
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Novelda vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Novelda $2,415
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,201 per month in Novelda vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Novelda $3,201
Nosara $3,814

Novelda is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Novelda and Nosara sit above the global median – Novelda by 20%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.83

$12.34 ₡5,535

35.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-8.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.88

$7.76 ₡3,481

43.17%

Cappuccino

$2.29 €2.04

$4.44 ₡1,992

-48.42%

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

$2.00 €1.78

$1.79 ₡803

11.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.29 ₡580

8.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 €2.77

$3.24 ₡1,451

-4.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$4.43 ₡1,985

-22.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.55 ₡696

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.08 ₡1,380

-54.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.53 ₡1,133

-39.13%

Eggs

$3.34 €2.97

$3.45 ₡1,546

-3.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 €14.13

$7.32 ₡3,284

117.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 €8.68

$10.24 ₡4,594

-4.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 €15.18

$14.10 ₡6,326

20.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.29 ₡1,027

25.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.64 ₡737

14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$4.79 ₡2,149

-64.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.64 ₡735

71.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$3.85 ₡1,727

-50.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$3.75 ₡1,681

-48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.09 ₡488

12.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.57

$2.59 ₡1,160

-74.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.30 €5.60

$5.12 ₡2,295

23.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €5.02

$19.92 ₡8,931

-71.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.80 ₡1,255

-57.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.46

$3.52 ₡1,580

-53.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.22 ₡549

52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.88 €30.14

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-54.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.17 ₡973

43.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.56 ₡698

-14.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.54 €14.71

$8.67 ₡3,886

90.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.55 ₡697

14.19%

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

$31.4K €27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.10%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-19.99%

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

$131 €117

$94.8 ₡42.5K

38.56%

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

$15.64 €13.91

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-56.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 €26.34

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-44.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 €45.00

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-31.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-54.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 €7.94

$7.91 ₡3,548

12.77%

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

$398 €354

$490 ₡219.9K

-18.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,026 €6,250

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-40.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 €65.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

33.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.64 €31.70

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-36.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

26.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 €778

$801 ₡359.1K

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 €605

$790 ₡354.1K

-13.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,178

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-66.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €900

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-28.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,290 €2,926

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-53.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,163 €1,924

$1,236 ₡554.3K

75.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

8.62

-65.31%

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

Last update for Novelda: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novelda

$681 41.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 16% $109

Groceries & Markets

Novelda

$282 17.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 24.2% $68

Eating Out

Novelda

$230 14.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 7.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novelda

$177 10.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 4.2% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Novelda

$141 8.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 14.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Novelda

$68 4.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 30.9% $21

Getting Around

Novelda

$51 3.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 73.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $875 in Novelda versus $801 in Nosara. 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 $56.0 in Novelda versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $350 – making Novelda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Novelda

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

8 h behind Novelda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,771

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Novelda Nosara 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Novelda
Nosara

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

Novelda vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,630 in Novelda, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,444 per month in Novelda and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 118% less in Novelda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $398 per month in Novelda and $490 in Nosara. 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 Novelda, where all-in costs run around $1,630, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Novelda 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 $1,630 in Novelda 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 Novelda. 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.