Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qrendi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,066 in Qrendi, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Qrendi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Qrendi
🇲🇹 Malta
$2,066
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,066 per month in Qrendi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qrendi $2,066
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,926 per month in Qrendi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qrendi $2,926
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,786 per month in Qrendi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qrendi $3,786
  • Nosara $3,818

Qrendi costs about 12% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Qrendi and Nosara sit above the global median – Qrendi by 53%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.42 €17.28
$12.35 ₡5,539
57.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.3 €75.8
$61.2 ₡27.4K
39.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.44 €11.96
$7.52 ₡3,373
78.72%
Cappuccino
$2.72 €2.42
$4.41 ₡1,978
-38.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 €2.69
$1.74 ₡780
73.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.31 ₡587
73.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.62 €4.11
$3.28 ₡1,471
40.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 €4.67
$4.47 ₡2,004
17.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.18
$1.56 ₡701
-14.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 €1.16
$3.02 ₡1,355
-56.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.35 €3.87
$2.51 ₡1,125
73.31%
Eggs
$4.19 €3.73
$3.57 ₡1,603
17.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.02 €7.14
$7.43 ₡3,333
7.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.22 €9.09
$10.52 ₡4,717
-2.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.25 €16.24
$13.97 ₡6,265
30.64%
Apples (1kg)
$4.09 €3.64
$2.35 ₡1,052
74.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.69 €2.39
$1.61 ₡720
67.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.62 €3.22
$4.80 ₡2,152
-24.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 €3.01
$1.61 ₡724
109.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 €2.18
$3.80 ₡1,703
-35.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$3.69 ₡1,657
-45.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.35 €2.09
$1.13 ₡507
107.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 €1.18
$2.66 ₡1,191
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.95 €6.18
$5.18 ₡2,321
34.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.98 €7.10
$19.88 ₡8,916
-59.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 €1.57
$2.90 ₡1,300
-39.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 €2.15
$3.63 ₡1,626
-33.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 €2.27
$1.12 ₡504
127.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.70 €5.07
$2.14 ₡958
166.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.57 ₡703
38.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.56 €23.63
$8.52 ₡3,823
211.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.52 ₡682
-3.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K €33.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
74.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.2K €34.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
13.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 €89.8
$96.3 ₡43.2K
4.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.17 €22.39
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-29.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.45 €37.76
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-20.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 €58.9
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-7.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.85 €8.76
$7.89 ₡3,539
24.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$371 €330
$494 ₡221.6K
-25.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.2K €9,955
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-5.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.5 €77.8
$53.9 ₡24.2K
62.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.68 €36.19
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-26.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €89.5
$77.9 ₡34.9K
29.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.6 €69.9
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-1.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,282 €1,140
$788 ₡353.4K
62.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,039 €924
$794 ₡356.2K
30.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,821 €1,619
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-53.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,295 €1,152
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-8.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,216 €3,750
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-39.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,595 €2,309
$1,224 ₡549.0K
112.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qrendi
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.9
8.62
-66.36%

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

Last update for Qrendi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Qrendi
$1K
Nosara
$794 23.5% $245
Groceries & Markets
Qrendi
$325
Nosara
$352 8.5% $28
Eating Out
Qrendi
$283
Nosara
$212 25.2% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qrendi
$169
Nosara
$186 10.2% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Qrendi
$138
Nosara
$120 13.2% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Qrendi
$86
Nosara
$87 1.7% $1.5
Getting Around
Qrendi
$27 *
Nosara
$87 225% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,282 in Qrendi 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 $85.0 in Qrendi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Qrendi vs $352 in Nosara – so Qrendi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Qrendi
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
16:55 4:55 PM
08:55 8:55 AM
8 h behind Qrendi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,800
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Qrendi Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Qrendi
  • 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
Qrendi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Qrendi and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,066 in Qrendi, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Qrendi compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,099 per month in Qrendi 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 Qrendi 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 $85.0 in Qrendi 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 8% cheaper in Qrendi – 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 Qrendi at $2,066. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Qrendi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Qrendi and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,066 in Qrendi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Qrendi 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 Qrendi and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Qrendi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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