Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samaxi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Samaxi: $839 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Samaxi
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Samaxi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Samaxi

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$839

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $839 per month in Samaxi vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Samaxi $839
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,503 per month in Samaxi vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Samaxi $1,503
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,168 per month in Samaxi vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Samaxi $2,168
Nosara $3,712

Samaxi is about 54% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.06 ₼13.69

$12.22 ₡5,509

-34.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.62 ₼50.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-50.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 ₼9.71

$7.54 ₡3,399

-24.14%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ₼4.61

$4.31 ₡1,941

-36.89%

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

$0.92 ₼1.56

$1.72 ₡773

-46.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₼0.58

$1.35 ₡608

-74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₼2.03

$3.24 ₡1,459

-63.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₼3.92

$4.48 ₡2,018

-48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 ₼2.20

$1.57 ₡707

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.33 ₼0.56

$3.17 ₡1,429

-89.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ₼4.01

$2.42 ₡1,091

-2.48%

Eggs

$1.18 ₼2.01

$3.57 ₡1,609

-66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.91 ₼4.95

$7.43 ₡3,349

-60.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 ₼7.61

$10.42 ₡4,697

-57.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.59 ₼14.61

$13.66 ₡6,156

-37.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.63 ₼1.08

$2.32 ₡1,044

-72.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₼2.62

$1.61 ₡728

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ₼2.34

$4.74 ₡2,138

-71.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 ₼1.72

$1.66 ₡747

-39.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₼1.10

$3.72 ₡1,679

-82.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ₼0.83

$3.57 ₡1,611

-86.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₼0.79

$1.10 ₡497

-57.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₼1.01

$2.55 ₡1,149

-76.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 ₼6.02

$4.95 ₡2,232

-28.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.39 ₼9.16

$20.01 ₡9,020

-73.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₼1.56

$2.79 ₡1,256

-67.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₼3.34

$3.53 ₡1,589

-44.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₼0.52

$1.19 ₡537

-74.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.94 ₼25.38

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-79.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ₼2.92

$2.24 ₡1,011

-23.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₼0.47

$1.55 ₡701

-81.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 ₼5.04

$8.86 ₡3,993

-66.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 ₼1.03

$1.57 ₡708

-61.15%

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

$23.2K ₼39.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

6.29%

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

$24.5K ₼41.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-29.35%

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

$33.45 ₼56.9

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-64.21%

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

$12.71 ₼21.61

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-63.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.59 ₼24.79

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-71.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.88 ₼50.8

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-58.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.99 ₼25.47

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-57.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 ₼12.33

$7.84 ₡3,535

-7.53%

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

$238 ₼404

$490 ₡220.7K

-51.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₼20.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-1.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.91 ₼79.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-12.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 ₼100

$55.8 ₡25.1K

5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ₼204

$79.3 ₡35.7K

51.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 ₼200

$78.9 ₡35.6K

49.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 ₼637

$786 ₡354.3K

-52.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₼491

$780 ₡351.6K

-62.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₼1,219

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-81.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 ₼1,481

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-38.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,028 ₼3,447

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-70.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₼2,034

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-0.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ₼576

$876 ₡395.0K

-61.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-7.19%

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

Last update for Samaxi: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samaxi

$289 34.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 170% $491

Clothing & Footwear

Samaxi

$154 18.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 22.1% $34

Groceries & Markets

Samaxi

$141 16.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 147% $208

Eating Out

Samaxi

$130 15.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 61.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samaxi

$61 7.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 196% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Samaxi

$44 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 96.2% $43

Getting Around

Samaxi

$19 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 351% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $375 in Samaxi 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 159% 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 $30.00 in Samaxi versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $350 – making Samaxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇿 Samaxi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

20:18 8:18 PM

10 h behind Samaxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AZN – Azerbaijani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇿 Azerbaijani Manat (₼)

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

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 AZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samaxi Nosara 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Samaxi
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

Samaxi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $839 in Samaxi, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,259 per month in Samaxi 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 Samaxi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 382% less in Samaxi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $238 per month in Samaxi and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Samaxi, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Samaxi 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 $839 in Samaxi 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 Samaxi. 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.