Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sari and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $885 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Sari
Learn more

Sari Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$885

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $885 per month in Sari vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sari $885
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,092 per month in Sari vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sari $1,092
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,299 per month in Sari vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sari $1,299
Nosara $3,818

Sari is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sari sits 34% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 $3.83

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.96 $11.96

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-80.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 $3.90

$7.52 ₡3,373

-48.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

Cappuccino

$1.29 $1.29

$4.41 ₡1,978

-70.75%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.74 ₡780

-72.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 $0.56

$1.31 ₡587

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.56 ₡701

-69.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 $0.61

$3.02 ₡1,355

-79.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.51 ₡1,125

31.47%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$3.57 ₡1,603

-65.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$7.43 ₡3,333

-38.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.16 $9.16

$13.97 ₡6,265

-34.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.35 ₡1,052

-42.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.61 ₡720

16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$4.80 ₡2,152

-75.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.61 ₡724

-60.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$3.80 ₡1,703

-85.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$3.69 ₡1,657

-86.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.13 ₡507

-52.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$2.66 ₡1,191

-89.47%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 $2.44

$5.18 ₡2,321

-52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.88 $9.88

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-86.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$2.14 ₡958

-76.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.57 ₡703

-80.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$8.52 ₡3,823

-63.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$1.52 ₡682

-94.74%

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

$50.9K $50.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

135.54%

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

$44.8K $44.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

29.66%

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

$12.89 $12.89

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-86.61%

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

$1.64 $1.64

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-95.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.78 $3.78

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-92.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 $50.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-29.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.17 $12.17

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-65.14%

Cinema Ticket

$0.97 $0.97

$7.89 ₡3,539

-87.71%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$494 ₡221.6K

-89.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$805 $805

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-93.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.52 $26.52

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-50.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 $38.07

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡34.9K

48.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.6 $74.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 $799

$788 ₡353.4K

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 $504

$794 ₡356.2K

-36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 $688

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-82.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 $404

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-71.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$849 $849

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-87.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$516 $516

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-57.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 $248

$864 ₡387.3K

-71.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

8.62

187.59%

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

Last update for Sari: 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

Sari

$504 57%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 57.6% $290

Groceries & Markets

Sari

$121 13.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 191% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Sari

$115 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 4.8% $5.5

Eating Out

Sari

$62 7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 242% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Sari

$53 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 65.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sari

$18 2.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 915% $167

Getting Around

Sari

$12 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 628% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $799 in Sari 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 248% 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 $12.00 in Sari versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $121 vs $352 – making Sari the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Sari

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

17:18 5:18 PM

9 h 30 min behind Sari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,000

4,912

💱 Currency

USD USD

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sari Nosara 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sari
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sari vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $885 in Sari, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 108% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,327 per month in Sari 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 Sari, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 635% less in Sari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $50.8 per month in Sari and $494 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 Sari, where all-in costs run around $885, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sari 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 $885 in Sari 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 Sari. 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.