Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,982 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,982

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,982 per month in Rome vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Rome $1,982
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,148 per month in Rome vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Rome $3,148
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,314 per month in Rome vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Rome $4,314
Nosara $3,712

Rome costs about 8% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rome and Nosara sit above the global median – Rome by 48%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 €15.05

$12.22 ₡5,509

38.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

12.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.84

$7.54 ₡3,399

46.42%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$4.31 ₡1,941

-52.44%

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

$3.05 €2.72

$1.72 ₡773

77.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.35 ₡608

12.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.11

$3.24 ₡1,459

76.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$4.48 ₡2,018

53.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.57 ₡707

8.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.17 ₡1,429

-29.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 €2.77

$2.42 ₡1,091

28.10%

Eggs

$4.81 €4.29

$3.57 ₡1,609

34.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$7.43 ₡3,349

103.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.53 €11.18

$10.42 ₡4,697

20.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.67

$13.66 ₡6,156

45.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.32 ₡1,044

14.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.61 ₡728

44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$4.74 ₡2,138

-48.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.66 ₡747

39.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$3.72 ₡1,679

-61.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$3.57 ₡1,611

-57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.10 ₡497

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.47

$2.55 ₡1,149

-79.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.40 €6.60

$4.95 ₡2,232

49.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$20.01 ₡9,020

-72.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.79 ₡1,256

-41.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$3.53 ₡1,589

-25.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.19 ₡537

45.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.99 €35.66

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-44.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 €6.16

$2.24 ₡1,011

208.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.55 ₡701

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 €30.48

$8.86 ₡3,993

285.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.57 ₡708

36.31%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

61.13%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-0.66%

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

$209 €186

$93.5 ₡42.1K

123.18%

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

$11.57 €10.31

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.42

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-38.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 €58.6

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.73 €21.15

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-33.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 €9.98

$7.84 ₡3,535

42.86%

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

$483 €431

$490 ₡220.7K

-1.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

42.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 €63.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

31.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.81

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-36.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 €73.3

$79.3 ₡35.7K

3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$78.9 ₡35.6K

55.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,074

$786 ₡354.3K

53.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 €795

$780 ₡351.6K

14.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 €2,253

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 €1,504

$1,407 ₡634.4K

19.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,407 €7,495

$6,972 ₡3.1M

20.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 €2,760

$1,201 ₡541.3K

157.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,980 €1,766

$876 ₡395.0K

125.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

8.62

-59.16%

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

Last update for Rome: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$892 44.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 12.6% $112

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$331 16.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 5.7% $19

Eating Out

Rome

$253 12.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 17.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$252 12.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 28.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$140 7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 14.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1.2% $1

Getting Around

Rome

$62 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,205 in Rome 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 126% higher in Rome, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Rome versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $331 in Rome vs $350 in Nosara – so Rome wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

19:05 7:05 PM

8 h behind Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rome Nosara 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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

Rome vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,982 in Rome, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,974 per month in Rome 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $483 per month in Rome 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 Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Rome at $1,982. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rome 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $1,982 in Rome. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rome makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.