Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustavi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustavi: $854 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Rustavi
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Rustavi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Rustavi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$854

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $854 per month in Rustavi vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Rustavi $854
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,269 per month in Rustavi vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Rustavi $1,269
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,683 per month in Rustavi vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Rustavi $1,683
Nosara $3,814

Rustavi is about 53% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rustavi sits 37% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.07 ₾26.07

$12.34 ₡5,535

-18.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.77 ₾79.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-49.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.64 ₾27.55

$7.76 ₡3,481

37.11%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ₾5.21

$4.44 ₡1,992

-54.73%

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

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.79 ₡803

-56.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₾1.42

$1.29 ₡580

-57.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 ₾3.29

$3.24 ₡1,451

-60.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₾4.89

$4.43 ₡1,985

-57.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₾4.67

$1.55 ₡696

16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₾1.30

$3.08 ₡1,380

-83.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 ₾3.27

$2.53 ₡1,133

-50.20%

Eggs

$2.36 ₾6.12

$3.45 ₡1,546

-31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.95 ₾15.40

$7.32 ₡3,284

-18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₾12.37

$10.24 ₡4,594

-53.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.16 ₾26.31

$14.10 ₡6,326

-27.94%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 ₾2.56

$2.29 ₡1,027

-56.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₾4.16

$1.64 ₡737

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ₾3.86

$4.79 ₡2,149

-68.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₾2.78

$1.64 ₡735

-34.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₾1.99

$3.85 ₡1,727

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₾1.70

$3.75 ₡1,681

-82.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₾3.21

$1.09 ₡488

13.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₾1.66

$2.59 ₡1,160

-75.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ₾7.97

$5.12 ₡2,295

-39.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.90 ₾10.08

$19.92 ₡8,931

-80.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₾3.98

$2.80 ₡1,255

-45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₾6.58

$3.52 ₡1,580

-27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₾0.87

$1.22 ₡549

-72.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.54 ₾29.87

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-84.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₾1.93

$2.17 ₡973

-65.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ₾1.04

$1.56 ₡698

-74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ₾10.09

$8.67 ₡3,886

-55.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₾3.28

$1.55 ₡697

-18.06%

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

$22.9K ₾59.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.85%

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

$9,677 ₾25.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-75.03%

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

$76.7 ₾198

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-19.14%

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

$7.54 ₾19.53

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-79.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.60 ₾30.04

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-78.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ₾70.7

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-63.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-44.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 ₾12.43

$7.91 ₡3,548

-39.32%

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

$131 ₾338

$490 ₡219.9K

-73.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,654 ₾6,871

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-77.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 ₾145

$54.8 ₡24.6K

2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 ₾105

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 ₾246

$80.4 ₡36.0K

18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 ₾223

$77.9 ₡34.9K

10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 ₾704

$801 ₡359.1K

-66.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ₾664

$790 ₡354.1K

-67.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 ₾1,209

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-88.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ₾802

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-78.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 ₾2,686

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-85.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$772 ₾1,999

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-37.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 ₾1,147

$887 ₡397.6K

-50.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

50.81%

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

Last update for Rustavi: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustavi

$256 30%

Nosara

$790 43% 208% $533

Groceries & Markets

Rustavi

$172 20.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 103% $177

Eating Out

Rustavi

$152 17.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 39.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Rustavi

$125 14.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 3.2% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustavi

$96 11.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 92.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Rustavi

$37 4.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 143% $53

Getting Around

Rustavi

$16 1.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 467% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Rustavi versus $801 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 100% higher in Nosara, 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 $31.00 in Rustavi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $350 – making Rustavi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Rustavi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

04:45 4:45 AM

10 h behind Rustavi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,333

4,912

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rustavi Nosara 12,390 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustavi
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

Rustavi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $854 in Rustavi, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 115% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,282 per month in Rustavi and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 540% less in Rustavi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Rustavi and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rustavi, where all-in costs run around $854, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Rustavi 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 $854 in Rustavi to $1,835 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 Rustavi. 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.