Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qalyub and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Qalyub: $447 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Qalyub
🇪🇬 Egypt
$447
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $447 per month in Qalyub vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qalyub $447
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $733 per month in Qalyub vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qalyub $733
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Qalyub vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qalyub $1,018
  • Nosara $3,818

Qalyub is about 76% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Qalyub sits 67% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.34 E£232
$12.35 ₡5,539
-64.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.63 E£995
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-69.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.64 E£248
$7.52 ₡3,373
-38.30%
Cappuccino
$1.25 E£66.8
$4.41 ₡1,978
-71.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 E£17.15
$1.74 ₡780
-81.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.11 E£5.96
$1.31 ₡587
-91.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 E£71.8
$3.28 ₡1,471
-58.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 E£120
$4.47 ₡2,004
-49.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.81 E£43.07
$1.56 ₡701
-48.08%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 E£36.26
$3.02 ₡1,355
-77.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.61 E£32.43
$2.51 ₡1,125
-75.70%
Eggs
$1.17 E£62.6
$3.57 ₡1,603
-67.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.95 E£211
$7.43 ₡3,333
-46.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$10.52 ₡4,717
-58.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.94 E£477
$13.97 ₡6,265
-36.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 E£84.0
$2.35 ₡1,052
-33.19%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 E£38.69
$1.61 ₡720
-55.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.57 E£30.18
$4.80 ₡2,152
-88.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.33 E£17.36
$1.61 ₡724
-79.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.26 E£13.89
$3.80 ₡1,703
-93.16%
Onion (1kg)
$0.30 E£15.95
$3.69 ₡1,657
-91.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.25 E£13.24
$1.13 ₡507
-77.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.22
$2.66 ₡1,191
-92.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.89 E£101
$5.18 ₡2,321
-63.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.82 E£311
$19.88 ₡8,916
-70.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 E£63.8
$2.90 ₡1,300
-58.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 E£113
$3.63 ₡1,626
-41.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 E£10.49
$1.12 ₡504
-82.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.36 E£19.34
$2.14 ₡958
-83.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 E£10.52
$1.57 ₡703
-87.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 E£64.3
$8.52 ₡3,823
-85.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.42 E£22.40
$1.52 ₡682
-72.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.7K E£1.7M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
46.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K E£1.4M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-23.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$14.08 E£752
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-85.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.67 E£356
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-81.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.41 E£716
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-74.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.24 E£867
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-77.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$0.97 E£51.8
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-97.22%
Cinema Ticket
$2.79 E£149
$7.89 ₡3,539
-64.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$86.2 E£4,601
$494 ₡221.6K
-82.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,085 E£111.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-82.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.01 E£1,763
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-38.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.24 E£2,416
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-18.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 E£6,111
$77.9 ₡34.9K
46.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.1 E£2,993
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-29.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$131 E£6,973
$788 ₡353.4K
-83.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$75.3 E£4,020
$794 ₡356.2K
-90.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$255 E£13.6K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-93.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$143 E£7,630
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-89.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$770 E£41.1K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-88.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$358 E£19.1K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-70.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qalyub
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
8.62
88.05%

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

Last update for Qalyub: 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
Qalyub
$125
Nosara
$352 182% $227
Clothing & Footwear
Qalyub
$112
Nosara
$120 7.3% $8.2
Eating Out
Qalyub
$77
Nosara
$212 177% $135
Accommodation & Living
Qalyub
$75
Nosara
$794 955% $719
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qalyub
$34
Nosara
$186 444% $152
Sport & Entertainment
Qalyub
$22
Nosara
$87 300% $66
Getting Around
Qalyub
$2.1 *
Nosara
$87 3990% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $131 in Qalyub 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 $19.00 in Qalyub versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $125 vs $352 – making Qalyub the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Qalyub
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
01:47 1:47 AM
16:47 4:47 PM
9 h behind Qalyub
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
109,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

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
  • Qalyub Nosara 11,930 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Qalyub
  • 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
Qalyub vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Qalyub and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $447 in Qalyub, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 311% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Qalyub compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $671 per month in Qalyub 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 Qalyub and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Qalyub, 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 $19.00 in Qalyub 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?
Groceries cost about 182% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qalyub, where all-in costs run around $447, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Qalyub it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Qalyub and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $447 in Qalyub to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Qalyub 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 Qalyub and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Qalyub. 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.

Qalyub vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?