Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shumen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $906 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
Learn more

Shumen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$906

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Shumen vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Shumen $906
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,409 per month in Shumen vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Shumen $1,409
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,912 per month in Shumen vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Shumen $1,912
Nosara $3,818

Shumen is about 51% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shumen sits 33% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.24 BGN 16.07

$12.35 ₡5,539

-25.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.55 BGN 58.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-45.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 BGN 15.44

$7.52 ₡3,373

17.95%

Cappuccino

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$4.41 ₡1,978

-60.77%

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

$1.48 BGN 2.58

$1.74 ₡780

-14.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 BGN 1.75

$1.31 ₡587

-23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

-10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 BGN 4.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

-36.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BGN 3.15

$1.56 ₡701

16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 BGN 4.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-3.19%

Eggs

$2.88 BGN 5.02

$3.57 ₡1,603

-19.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 BGN 15.49

$7.43 ₡3,333

19.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 BGN 8.85

$10.52 ₡4,717

-51.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 BGN 15.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

-37.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 BGN 2.62

$2.35 ₡1,052

-36.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

$1.61 ₡720

27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 BGN 3.80

$4.80 ₡2,152

-54.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 BGN 3.95

$1.61 ₡724

40.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.54

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$3.69 ₡1,657

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$1.13 ₡507

-26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.30

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 BGN 6.41

$5.18 ₡2,321

-28.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 BGN 12.50

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$2.90 ₡1,300

-67.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 BGN 2.44

$3.63 ₡1,626

-61.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.12 ₡504

-16.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.92 BGN 45.10

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-64.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$2.14 ₡958

-18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 BGN 0.84

$1.57 ₡703

-69.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 BGN 2.64

$1.52 ₡682

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

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

40.34%

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

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-35.78%

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

$133 BGN 231

$96.3 ₡43.2K

37.81%

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

$17.28 BGN 30.07

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.28 BGN 30.06

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-67.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.57 BGN 67.1

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-46.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 BGN 19.72

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-67.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 BGN 11.82

$7.89 ₡3,539

-13.94%

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

$570 BGN 991

$494 ₡221.6K

15.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K BGN 17.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-13.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 BGN 84.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-10.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 BGN 89.2

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 BGN 164

$77.9 ₡34.9K

20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 BGN 105

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 BGN 455

$788 ₡353.4K

-66.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 BGN 306

$794 ₡356.2K

-77.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 BGN 748

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 BGN 567

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-77.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,263 BGN 2,197

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-81.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 BGN 1,716

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-19.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,004 BGN 1,747

$864 ₡387.3K

16.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

8.62

-62.30%

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

Last update for Shumen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shumen

$211 23.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 67% $141

Accommodation & Living

Shumen

$176 19.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 352% $618

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shumen

$167 18.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.1% $19

Eating Out

Shumen

$151 16.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Shumen

$114 12.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 5.1% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Shumen

$52 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 67.5% $35

Getting Around

Shumen

$34 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 157% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in Shumen 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 16% higher in Shumen, 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 $34.00 in Shumen versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $352 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Shumen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

9 h behind Shumen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,504

4,912

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shumen Nosara 11,010 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Shumen
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

Shumen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $906 in Shumen, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 103% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Shumen 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 Shumen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 180% less in Shumen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $570 per month in Shumen 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 Shumen, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Shumen 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 $906 in Shumen 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 Shumen. 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.