Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oued Zem and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $744 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
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Oued Zem Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$744

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Oued Zem vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Oued Zem $744
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,188 per month in Oued Zem vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Oued Zem $1,188
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,633 per month in Oued Zem vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Oued Zem $1,633
Nosara $3,818

Oued Zem is about 60% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Oued Zem sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.23 MAD 41.20

$12.35 ₡5,539

-65.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.45 MAD 404

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-32.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 MAD 69.8

$7.52 ₡3,373

-4.79%

Cappuccino

$1.97 MAD 19.23

$4.41 ₡1,978

-55.33%

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

$0.54 MAD 5.25

$1.74 ₡780

-68.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MAD 3.56

$1.31 ₡587

-71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 MAD 49.57

$3.28 ₡1,471

54.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 MAD 31.95

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 MAD 8.16

$1.56 ₡701

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 MAD 6.09

$3.02 ₡1,355

-79.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 MAD 18.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

-24.70%

Eggs

$1.89 MAD 18.42

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 MAD 113

$7.43 ₡3,333

55.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 MAD 65.6

$10.52 ₡4,717

-36.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 MAD 117

$13.97 ₡6,265

-14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 MAD 15.82

$2.35 ₡1,052

-31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MAD 13.50

$1.61 ₡720

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 MAD 8.00

$4.80 ₡2,152

-82.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 MAD 8.13

$1.61 ₡724

-48.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 MAD 6.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-81.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MAD 7.36

$3.69 ₡1,657

-79.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 MAD 3.93

$1.13 ₡507

-64.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MAD 6.34

$2.66 ₡1,191

-75.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MAD 40.43

$5.18 ₡2,321

-19.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 MAD 74.2

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MAD 25.51

$2.90 ₡1,300

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MAD 26.60

$3.63 ₡1,626

-24.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MAD 5.10

$1.12 ₡504

-53.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.72 MAD 183

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-74.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MAD 6.86

$2.14 ₡958

-67.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MAD 7.30

$1.57 ₡703

-52.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 MAD 39.19

$8.52 ₡3,823

-52.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MAD 14.72

$1.52 ₡682

-0.66%

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

$30.9K MAD 301.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

43.22%

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

$30.9K MAD 301.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-10.35%

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

$36.62 MAD 357

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-61.97%

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

$10.06 MAD 98.0

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-71.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.17 MAD 333

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-36.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 MAD 284

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-59.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.76 MAD 202

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-40.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 MAD 60.0

$7.89 ₡3,539

-21.93%

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

$185 MAD 1,807

$494 ₡221.6K

-62.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,495 MAD 92.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-19.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.33 MAD 481

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 MAD 395

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 MAD 915

$77.9 ₡34.9K

20.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.2 MAD 636

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 MAD 2,712

$788 ₡353.4K

-64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 MAD 1,607

$794 ₡356.2K

-79.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 MAD 4,664

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 MAD 2,398

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-82.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,115 MAD 10.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$767 MAD 7,480

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-37.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 MAD 2,333

$864 ₡387.3K

-72.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

8.62

-47.22%

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

Last update for Oued Zem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Oued Zem

$205 27.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 72.1% $148

Accommodation & Living

Oued Zem

$165 22.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 382% $629

Eating Out

Oued Zem

$115 15.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 85% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Oued Zem

$112 15.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.2% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oued Zem

$81 10.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 130% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Oued Zem

$41 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 111% $46

Getting Around

Oued Zem

$25 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 245% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Oued Zem 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 261% higher in Nosara, 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 $41.00 in Oued Zem versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $352 – making Oued Zem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

7 h behind Oued Zem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,267

4,912

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

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).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oued Zem Nosara 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Oued Zem
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

Oued Zem vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $744 in Oued Zem, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 147% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Oued Zem 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 Oued Zem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 288% less in Oued Zem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $185 per month in Oued Zem and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Oued Zem, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Oued Zem 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 $744 in Oued Zem 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 Oued Zem. 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.