Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmarnock and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,812 in Portmarnock, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Portmarnock
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,812
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,812 per month in Portmarnock vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Portmarnock $2,812
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,831 per month in Portmarnock vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Portmarnock $3,831
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,849 per month in Portmarnock vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Portmarnock $4,849
  • Nosara $3,818

Portmarnock costs about 53% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Portmarnock and Nosara sit above the global median – Portmarnock by 108%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.51 €20.02
$12.35 ₡5,539
82.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 €89.2
$61.2 ₡27.4K
63.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.15 €11.70
$7.52 ₡3,373
74.87%
Cappuccino
$4.75 €4.22
$4.41 ₡1,978
7.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 €2.56
$1.74 ₡780
65.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 €1.91
$1.31 ₡587
64.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.72 €6.86
$3.28 ₡1,471
135.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.82 €6.07
$4.47 ₡2,004
52.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 €1.46
$1.56 ₡701
5.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 €2.03
$3.02 ₡1,355
-24.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.04 €1.81
$2.51 ₡1,125
-18.73%
Eggs
$4.20 €3.74
$3.57 ₡1,603
17.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.16 €9.04
$7.43 ₡3,333
36.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.74 €9.56
$10.52 ₡4,717
2.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.29 €11.83
$13.97 ₡6,265
-4.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 €2.42
$2.35 ₡1,052
15.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 €1.93
$1.61 ₡720
34.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.76 €2.45
$4.80 ₡2,152
-42.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 €3.59
$1.61 ₡724
150.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 €1.72
$3.80 ₡1,703
-49.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$3.69 ₡1,657
-58.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.13 ₡507
11.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$2.66 ₡1,191
-28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.25 €18.01
$5.18 ₡2,321
290.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.48 €11.99
$19.88 ₡8,916
-32.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.49 €3.10
$2.90 ₡1,300
20.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 €3.22
$3.63 ₡1,626
-0.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.51 €2.24
$1.12 ₡504
124.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.02 €4.46
$2.14 ₡958
134.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 €1.26
$1.57 ₡703
-9.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.61 €33.45
$8.52 ₡3,823
341.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 €1.90
$1.52 ₡682
40.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
77.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.6K €32.5K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
5.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$246 €219
$96.3 ₡43.2K
155.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.36 €16.33
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-48.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.4 €44.84
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-5.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.5 €50.3
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-21.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.59 €13.87
$7.89 ₡3,539
97.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$997 €887
$494 ₡221.6K
101.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,440 €4,839
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-54.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.8 €87.9
$53.9 ₡24.2K
83.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.80 €42.52
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-13.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €97.7
$77.9 ₡34.9K
40.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 €103
$79.6 ₡35.7K
45.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,730 €1,538
$788 ₡353.4K
119.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,537 €1,367
$794 ₡356.2K
93.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,499 €2,222
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-36.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,955 €1,739
$1,419 ₡636.5K
37.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Portmarnock
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.68
8.62
-57.31%

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

Last update for Portmarnock: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Portmarnock
$1.5K
Nosara
$794 48.3% $743
Eating Out
Portmarnock
$349
Nosara
$212 39.3% $137
Groceries & Markets
Portmarnock
$335
Nosara
$352 5.3% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Portmarnock
$315
Nosara
$186 40.9% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Portmarnock
$167
Nosara
$120 28.2% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Portmarnock
$88
Nosara
$87 0.4% $0.3
Getting Around
Portmarnock
$22 *
Nosara
$87 293% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,730 in Portmarnock 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Portmarnock versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $335 in Portmarnock vs $352 in Nosara – so Portmarnock wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Portmarnock
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
17:33 5:33 PM
10:33 10:33 AM
7 h behind Portmarnock
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,285
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Portmarnock Nosara 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Portmarnock
  • 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
Portmarnock vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Portmarnock and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,812 in Portmarnock, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Portmarnock compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,218 per month in Portmarnock and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Portmarnock and Nosara?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Portmarnock and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Portmarnock – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Portmarnock at $2,812. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portmarnock it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Portmarnock and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,812 in Portmarnock. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Portmarnock or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Portmarnock and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Portmarnock makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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