Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riga and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Riga: $1,602 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,602

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,602 per month in Riga vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Riga $1,602
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,442 per month in Riga vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Riga $2,442
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,282 per month in Riga vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Riga $3,282
Nosara $3,712

Riga is about 13% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Riga and Nosara sit above the global median – Riga by 20%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 €14.97

$12.22 ₡5,509

37.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 €59.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

9.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 €8.16

$7.54 ₡3,399

21.22%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.32

$4.31 ₡1,941

-13.69%

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

$1.60 €1.43

$1.72 ₡773

-6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.35 ₡608

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.90

$3.24 ₡1,459

69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 €4.55

$4.48 ₡2,018

13.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.57 ₡707

-26.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.17 ₡1,429

-53.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.42 ₡1,091

5.79%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.29

$3.57 ₡1,609

3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 €9.37

$7.43 ₡3,349

41.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 €7.93

$10.42 ₡4,697

-14.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 €12.54

$13.66 ₡6,156

2.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.32 ₡1,044

-4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.61 ₡728

14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$4.74 ₡2,138

-48.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.83

$1.66 ₡747

90.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$3.72 ₡1,679

-75.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$3.57 ₡1,611

-73.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.10 ₡497

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$2.55 ₡1,149

-62.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 €6.05

$4.95 ₡2,232

36.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €7.00

$20.01 ₡9,020

-60.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.79 ₡1,256

-27.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.53 ₡1,589

-41.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.19 ₡537

44.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.18 €29.61

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-53.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 €2.98

$2.24 ₡1,011

49.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.55 ₡701

-36.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.55 €15.66

$8.86 ₡3,993

98.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.57 ₡708

33.76%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

26.97%

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

$30.5K €27.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-12.03%

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

$380 €340

$93.5 ₡42.1K

307.14%

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

$19.90 €17.76

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-43.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.17 €18.00

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-60.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 €45.03

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-29.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.89 €32.03

$35.44 ₡16.0K

1.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 €9.80

$7.84 ₡3,535

40.05%

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

$648 €578

$490 ₡220.7K

32.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K €16.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

50.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 €61.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

29.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.37

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-8.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 €76.2

$79.3 ₡35.7K

7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$78.9 ₡35.6K

75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 €530

$786 ₡354.3K

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €347

$780 ₡351.6K

-50.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 €1,014

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-70.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 €663

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-47.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,027 €2,702

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-56.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,143 €1,912

$1,201 ₡541.3K

78.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,498 €1,337

$876 ₡395.0K

70.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

8.62

-46.17%

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

Last update for Riga: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riga

$421 26.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 57.2% $240

Accommodation & Living

Riga

$389 24.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 101% $391

Groceries & Markets

Riga

$270 16.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 29.4% $79

Eating Out

Riga

$255 15.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 17.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Riga

$155 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 22.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Riga

$72 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.2% $15

Getting Around

Riga

$48 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 79.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $594 in Riga versus $786 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 71% higher in Riga, 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 $66.0 in Riga versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Riga vs $350 in Nosara – so Riga wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Riga

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

9 h behind Riga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,187 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Riga Nosara 10,240 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Riga
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

Riga vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,602 in Riga, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,403 per month in Riga and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Riga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 117% less in Riga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $648 per month in Riga and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Riga, where all-in costs run around $1,602, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Riga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Riga has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,602 in Riga to $1,837 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 Riga. 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.