Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pawl Il-bahar: $1,697 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,697 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,593 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489
Nosara $3,818

San Pawl Il-bahar is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Pawl Il-bahar and Nosara sit above the global median – San Pawl Il-bahar by 26%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$12.35 ₡5,539

59.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 €73.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

34.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.50%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$1.74 ₡780

41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.31 ₡587

48.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$3.28 ₡1,471

37.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.60

$4.47 ₡2,004

15.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.56 ₡701

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$3.02 ₡1,355

-61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

52.19%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$3.57 ₡1,603

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 €7.50

$7.43 ₡3,333

13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$10.52 ₡4,717

-26.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$13.97 ₡6,265

-32.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.35 ₡1,052

26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.61 ₡720

27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$4.80 ₡2,152

-38.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.61 ₡724

77.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.13 ₡507

5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.66 ₡1,191

-54.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.63

$5.18 ₡2,321

22.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.38

$19.88 ₡8,916

-58.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.12 ₡504

146.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$2.14 ₡958

167.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.57 ₡703

38.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 €23.58

$8.52 ₡3,823

211.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

77.25%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

14.64%

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

$58.9 €52.4

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-38.87%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-42.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 €35.54

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-25.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €44.17

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-30.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 €12.02

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-61.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.86

$7.89 ₡3,539

26.24%

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

$371 €330

$494 ₡221.6K

-24.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,915

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 €20.06

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-58.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 €29.83

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-39.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €85.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

23.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 €67.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-5.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €872

$788 ₡353.4K

24.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €755

$794 ₡356.2K

6.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-58.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-5.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,441 €3,061

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-50.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,550

$1,224 ₡549.0K

134.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 €1,485

$864 ₡387.3K

93.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

8.62

-66.36%

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

Last update for San Pawl Il-bahar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 6.4% $54

Eating Out

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.5% $62

Groceries & Markets

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 37.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 55.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.6% $18

Getting Around

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 215% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 93% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $352 in Nosara – so San Pawl Il-bahar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

09:50 9:50 AM

8 h behind San Pawl Il-bahar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,046

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pawl Il-bahar Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

San Pawl Il-bahar
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

San Pawl Il-bahar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,545 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 38% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pawl Il-bahar, where all-in costs run around $1,697, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Pawl Il-bahar 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 $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar. 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.