Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostia and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Ostia and in Nosara: $1,756 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ostia 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 Ostia and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,756 per month in Ostia vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ostia $1,756
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,594 per month in Ostia vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ostia $2,594
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,432 per month in Ostia vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ostia $3,432
Nosara $3,818

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

Both Ostia and Nosara sit above the global median – Ostia by 30%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.69

$12.35 ₡5,539

33.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

7.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.10

$7.52 ₡3,373

51.06%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.98%

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

$2.33 €2.07

$1.74 ₡780

33.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.31 ₡587

-8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.28 ₡1,471

66.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.27

$4.47 ₡2,004

7.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.56 ₡701

7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$3.02 ₡1,355

-28.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.51 ₡1,125

19.52%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.27

$7.43 ₡3,333

100.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

$10.52 ₡4,717

18.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 €17.44

$13.97 ₡6,265

40.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.35 ₡1,052

10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.61 ₡720

27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.61 ₡724

47.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.80 ₡1,703

-62.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$3.69 ₡1,657

-56.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.13 ₡507

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$5.18 ₡2,321

27.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.90 ₡1,300

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.63 ₡1,626

-31.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.12 ₡504

47.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.01 €34.70

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-46.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$2.14 ₡958

106.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.57 ₡703

-21.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.16 €20.60

$8.52 ₡3,823

171.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.52 ₡682

41.45%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

63.24%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.59%

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

$197 €175

$96.3 ₡43.2K

104.21%

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

$9.61 €8.55

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-73.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.13 €27.69

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.93

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-21.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 €9.96

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-67.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 €9.85

$7.89 ₡3,539

40.30%

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

$449 €400

$494 ₡221.6K

-9.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,805 €7,832

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-25.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 €64.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

33.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 €32.60

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

8.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$79.6 ₡35.7K

56.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$788 ₡353.4K

8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €599

$794 ₡356.2K

-15.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 €1,005

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 €881

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-30.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,992 €1,772

$864 ₡387.3K

130.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

8.62

-59.40%

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

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostia

$673 38.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 18% $121

Groceries & Markets

Ostia

$324 18.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.9% $29

Eating Out

Ostia

$244 13.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 13.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostia

$237 13.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Ostia

$143 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ostia

$78 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.6% $9.1

Getting Around

Ostia

$56 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 54.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $853 in Ostia versus $788 in Nosara. 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 131% higher in Ostia, 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 $66.0 in Ostia versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Ostia vs $352 in Nosara – so Ostia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ostia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

19:54 7:54 PM

8 h behind Ostia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,400

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

Ostia Nosara 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostia
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

Ostia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,756 in Ostia, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,634 per month in Ostia and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 86% less in Ostia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $449 per month in Ostia and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ostia, where all-in costs run around $1,756, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ostia 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 $1,756 in Ostia 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 Ostia. 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.