Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rethymno and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,345 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,345

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,345 per month in Rethymno vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Rethymno $1,345
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,021 per month in Rethymno vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Rethymno $2,021
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,697 per month in Rethymno vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Rethymno $2,697
Nosara $3,818

Rethymno is about 27% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rethymno and Nosara sit above the global median – Rethymno by 0%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.58 €11.19

$12.35 ₡5,539

1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 €49.49

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-9.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 €8.79

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.38%

Cappuccino

$3.56 €3.17

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.27%

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

$1.65 €1.47

$1.74 ₡780

-5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.31 ₡587

-59.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.94

$3.28 ₡1,471

35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$4.47 ₡2,004

21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.56 ₡701

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.51 ₡1,125

-13.55%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

27.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.03

$7.43 ₡3,333

97.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 €8.29

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.06 €13.40

$13.97 ₡6,265

7.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.35 ₡1,052

-13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.61 ₡720

25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 €1.08

$4.80 ₡2,152

-74.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.61 ₡724

9.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.86

$3.80 ₡1,703

-74.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$3.69 ₡1,657

-74.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.13 ₡507

-43.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 €3.88

$5.18 ₡2,321

-15.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.85

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.12 ₡504

63.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.91

$2.14 ₡958

105.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.57 ₡703

-30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.32 €10.07

$8.52 ₡3,823

32.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.52 ₡682

48.03%

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

$22.4K €19.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

3.56%

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

$24.4K €21.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.27%

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

$193 €171

$96.3 ₡43.2K

100.00%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-43.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 €53.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-15.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.50 €7.56

$7.89 ₡3,539

7.73%

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

$364 €324

$494 ₡221.6K

-26.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,938 €3,503

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-66.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 €79.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

66.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.17 €9.94

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-79.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.93 €39.96

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-42.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.80 €38.96

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-44.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 €489

$788 ₡353.4K

-30.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 €392

$794 ₡356.2K

-44.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 €808

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-76.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-49.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,079 €3,628

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-40.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,948 €2,622

$1,224 ₡549.0K

140.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,222 €1,087

$864 ₡387.3K

41.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

8.62

-50.12%

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

Last update for Rethymno: 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

Rethymno

$441 32.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 80.1% $353

Groceries & Markets

Rethymno

$268 20%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 31.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rethymno

$241 17.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 22.9% $55

Eating Out

Rethymno

$215 16%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 1.4% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Rethymno

$85 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 40.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rethymno

$77 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Rethymno

$17 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 408% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $549 in Rethymno 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 42% higher in Rethymno, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Rethymno versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $352 – making Rethymno the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

9 h behind Rethymno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,763

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rethymno Nosara 11,130 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rethymno
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

Rethymno vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,345 in Rethymno, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,017 per month in Rethymno 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 Rethymno, 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 $56.0 in Rethymno 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 31% 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 Rethymno, where all-in costs run around $1,345, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Rethymno 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 $1,345 in Rethymno 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 Rethymno. 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.