Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,153 per month in Side vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Side $1,153
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,793 per month in Side vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Side $1,793
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,432 per month in Side vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Side $2,432
Nosara $3,814

Side is about 37% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Side sits 15% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.25 ₺507

$12.34 ₡5,535

-16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.35 ₺1,502

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-50.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 ₺488

$7.76 ₡3,481

27.06%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ₺179

$4.44 ₡1,992

-18.24%

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

$2.20 ₺109

$1.79 ₡803

22.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.35

$1.29 ₡580

-69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ₺203

$3.24 ₡1,451

26.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 ₺293

$4.43 ₡1,985

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ₺52.2

$1.55 ₡696

-32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺47.29

$3.08 ₡1,380

-68.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 ₺130

$2.53 ₡1,133

3.56%

Eggs

$2.22 ₺110

$3.45 ₡1,546

-35.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ₺661

$7.32 ₡3,284

82.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ₺299

$10.24 ₡4,594

-40.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.37 ₺1,305

$14.10 ₡6,326

87.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 ₺76.1

$2.29 ₡1,027

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 ₺118

$1.64 ₡737

45.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₺71.4

$4.79 ₡2,149

-69.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₺60.8

$1.64 ₡735

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 ₺38.78

$3.85 ₡1,727

-79.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 ₺36.99

$3.75 ₡1,681

-80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 ₺89.7

$1.09 ₡488

66.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.73

$2.59 ₡1,160

-70.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ₺138

$5.12 ₡2,295

-45.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 ₺691

$19.92 ₡8,931

-29.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₺87.1

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺155

$3.52 ₡1,580

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ₺31.41

$1.22 ₡549

-48.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ₺61.0

$2.17 ₡973

-43.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ₺51.1

$1.56 ₡698

-33.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 ₺341

$8.67 ₡3,886

-20.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₺75.9

$1.55 ₡697

-1.29%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

21.51%

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

$38.0K ₺1.9M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-1.97%

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

$76.1 ₺3,765

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-19.80%

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

$10.50 ₺520

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-70.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 ₺1,158

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-55.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ₺2,826

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-22.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.93 ₺393

$7.91 ₡3,548

0.25%

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

$499 ₺24.7K

$490 ₡219.9K

1.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,527 ₺471.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.49 ₺2,203

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.1 ₺2,926

$55.9 ₡25.1K

5.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 ₺7,612

$80.4 ₡36.0K

91.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₺5,967

$77.9 ₡34.9K

54.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₺23.6K

$801 ₡359.1K

-40.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₺15.2K

$790 ₡354.1K

-61.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₺37.8K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-80.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ₺27.8K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-60.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,548 ₺76.7K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-78.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$913 ₺45.2K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-26.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

8.62

343.74%

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

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Side

$308 26.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 157% $482

Groceries & Markets

Side

$286 24.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 22.3% $64

Eating Out

Side

$198 17.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 7.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$170 14.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 28.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 67.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$73 6.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 22.8% $17

Getting Around

Side

$8.9 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 893% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Side 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 $30.00 in Side versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $286 vs $350 – making Side the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

9 h behind Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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 TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Side Nosara 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Side
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

Side vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,153 in Side, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,730 per month in Side 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 Side, 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 $30.00 in Side 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 22% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Side, where all-in costs run around $1,153, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Side 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 $1,153 in Side 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 Side. 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.