Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qena and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Qena
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Qena Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $468 per month in Qena vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Qena $468
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $746 per month in Qena vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Qena $746
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,023 per month in Qena vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Qena $1,023
Nosara $3,818

Qena is about 75% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Qena sits 65% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 E£205

$12.35 ₡5,550

-68.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.99 E£801

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-75.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.78 E£309

$7.52 ₡3,379

-23.14%

Cappuccino

$2.00 E£107

$4.41 ₡1,982

-54.65%

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

$0.50 E£26.78

$1.74 ₡781

-71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.56

$1.31 ₡588

-86.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 E£103

$3.28 ₡1,474

-41.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 E£162

$4.47 ₡2,008

-31.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£51.7

$1.56 ₡702

-37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 E£40.69

$3.02 ₡1,358

-74.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 E£35.14

$2.51 ₡1,127

-73.71%

Eggs

$1.93 E£103

$3.57 ₡1,606

-45.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 E£169

$7.43 ₡3,340

-57.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 E£300

$10.52 ₡4,727

-46.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.89 E£528

$13.97 ₡6,277

-29.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 E£79.2

$2.35 ₡1,054

-37.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.67

$1.61 ₡721

-67.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.67

$4.80 ₡2,156

-91.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.99

$1.61 ₡725

-74.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£18.28

$3.80 ₡1,706

-91.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£20.87

$3.69 ₡1,660

-89.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£14.25

$1.13 ₡508

-76.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.69

$2.66 ₡1,193

-93.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 E£114

$5.18 ₡2,326

-58.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 E£386

$19.88 ₡8,934

-63.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 E£67.1

$2.90 ₡1,303

-56.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 E£91.6

$3.63 ₡1,629

-52.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£9.02

$1.12 ₡505

-84.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.03

$2.14 ₡960

-82.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 E£11.18

$1.57 ₡705

-86.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 E£67.1

$8.52 ₡3,830

-85.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.75

$1.52 ₡683

-71.71%

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

$31.9K E£1.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

47.55%

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

$21.8K E£1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-36.98%

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

$25.42 E£1,359

$96.3 ₡43.3K

-73.60%

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

$7.95 E£425

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-77.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.28 E£496

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-82.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.61 E£834

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-78.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 E£181

$7.89 ₡3,546

-57.03%

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

$101 E£5,375

$494 ₡222.0K

-79.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$598 E£32.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-94.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.95 E£1,066

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-63.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.52 E£1,791

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-39.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 E£6,579

$77.9 ₡35.0K

58.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.92 E£1,545

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-63.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 E£7,086

$788 ₡354.1K

-83.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.8 E£4,265

$794 ₡356.9K

-89.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 E£14.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-92.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 E£7,723

$1,419 ₡637.7K

-89.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$709 E£37.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-89.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$300 E£16.0K

$1,224 ₡550.0K

-75.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

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 Qena: 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

Qena

$138 29.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 155% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Qena

$92 19.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 29.9% $28

Eating Out

Qena

$90 19.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 134% $121

Accommodation & Living

Qena

$80 17.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 895% $715

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qena

$43 9.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 336% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Qena

$22 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 290% $65

Getting Around

Qena

$2.1 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4048% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Qena 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 $15.00 in Qena versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $138 vs $352 – making Qena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Qena

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

12:31 12:31 PM

9 h behind Qena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

235,362

4,912

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qena Nosara 12,240 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Qena
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

Qena vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $468 in Qena, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 293% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $702 per month in Qena 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 Qena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Qena and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 155% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qena, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Qena 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 $468 in Qena 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 Qena. 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.