Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Scalea: $1,727 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Scalea vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Scalea $1,727
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,568 per month in Scalea vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Scalea $2,568
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,408 per month in Scalea vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Scalea $3,408
Nosara $3,814

Scalea is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Scalea and Nosara sit above the global median – Scalea by 27%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.09

$12.34 ₡5,535

37.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.17

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-9.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 €10.01

$7.76 ₡3,481

45.10%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$4.44 ₡1,992

-52.93%

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

$2.97 €2.64

$1.79 ₡803

65.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.29 ₡580

65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €6.04

$3.24 ₡1,451

109.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$4.43 ₡1,985

-3.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.55 ₡696

-18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$3.08 ₡1,380

-48.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.53 ₡1,133

3.95%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.10

$3.45 ₡1,546

0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.12

$7.32 ₡3,284

55.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.88 €10.57

$10.24 ₡4,594

16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 €13.87

$14.10 ₡6,326

10.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.29 ₡1,027

-16.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.64 ₡737

1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.79 ₡2,149

-71.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.64 ₡735

56.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.85 ₡1,727

-53.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.75 ₡1,681

-65.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.09 ₡488

18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$2.59 ₡1,160

-83.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.10

$5.12 ₡2,295

33.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.83

$19.92 ₡8,931

-61.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.80 ₡1,255

-34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.52 ₡1,580

-56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.22 ₡549

30.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.36 €38.57

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-41.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.06

$2.17 ₡973

110.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.56 ₡698

-30.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.63

$8.67 ₡3,886

154.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.55 ₡697

38.06%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.10%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-5.88%

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

$306 €272

$94.8 ₡42.5K

222.96%

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

$10.58 €9.41

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-70.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.67 €30.84

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-34.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €49.99

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-23.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 €23.55

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-25.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.93

$7.91 ₡3,548

12.64%

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

$457 €407

$490 ₡219.9K

-6.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,688 €5,949

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-43.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 €73.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

50.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.33 €29.64

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-40.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

64.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 €585

$801 ₡359.1K

-17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 €496

$790 ₡354.1K

-29.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 €940

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-73.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €868

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-30.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,430 €1,272

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-79.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 €1,041

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-5.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

8.62

-58.82%

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

Last update for Scalea: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scalea

$558 32.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 41.5% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$351 20.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 47.6% $167

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$277 16%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 26.2% $73

Eating Out

Scalea

$258 14.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 17.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$150 8.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$74 4.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 21.1% $16

Getting Around

Scalea

$60 3.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 48.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Scalea 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Scalea versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $350 – making Scalea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

8 h behind Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Scalea Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,727 in Scalea, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,591 per month in Scalea 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 Scalea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 70% less in Scalea. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $457 per month in Scalea 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 Scalea, where all-in costs run around $1,727, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Scalea 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 $1,727 in Scalea 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 Scalea. 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.