Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,371 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
Learn more

Sliema Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,371

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,371 per month in Sliema vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Sliema $2,371
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,762 per month in Sliema vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Sliema $3,762
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,154 per month in Sliema vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Sliema $5,154
Nosara $3,712

Sliema costs about 29% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sliema and Nosara sit above the global median – Sliema by 77%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.75

$12.22 ₡5,509

62.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.2 €76.9

$60.2 ₡27.1K

43.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.89

$7.54 ₡3,399

76.66%

Cappuccino

$2.80 €2.49

$4.31 ₡1,941

-35.03%

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

$3.08 €2.75

$1.72 ₡773

79.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.35 ₡608

63.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.94

$3.24 ₡1,459

36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.63

$4.48 ₡2,018

15.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.57 ₡707

-13.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.16

$3.17 ₡1,429

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 €3.78

$2.42 ₡1,091

74.79%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.69

$3.57 ₡1,609

15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 €7.34

$7.43 ₡3,349

10.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.24

$10.42 ₡4,697

-0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.61 €16.61

$13.66 ₡6,156

36.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 €3.84

$2.32 ₡1,044

85.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.61 ₡728

70.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$4.74 ₡2,138

-21.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.66 ₡747

101.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$3.72 ₡1,679

-34.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.10 ₡497

113.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.55 ₡1,149

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.93 €6.18

$4.95 ₡2,232

40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 €7.28

$20.01 ₡9,020

-59.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.79 ₡1,256

-37.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.53 ₡1,589

-30.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.19 ₡537

86.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 €119

$72.1 ₡32.5K

85.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.94

$2.24 ₡1,011

146.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.55 ₡701

46.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.34 €24.40

$8.86 ₡3,993

208.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.57 ₡708

-7.01%

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

$37.8K €33.8K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

73.58%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

11.79%

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

$102 €91.4

$93.5 ₡42.1K

9.62%

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

$25.23 €22.52

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-28.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.57 €38.89

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-15.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.1

$71.4 ₡32.2K

6.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.19 €14.45

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-54.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.09

$7.84 ₡3,535

29.97%

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

$371 €331

$490 ₡220.7K

-24.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,768

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-7.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

63.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €36.84

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-25.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €87.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

24.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €70.0

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 €1,562

$786 ₡354.3K

122.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 €1,074

$780 ₡351.6K

54.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 €2,648

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-23.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,383 €2,127

$1,407 ₡634.4K

69.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,389 €4,809

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-22.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,516 €3,138

$1,201 ₡541.3K

192.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,794 €1,601

$876 ₡395.0K

104.68%

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 Sliema: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 35.2% $424

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$329 13.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 6.3% $21

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 12%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 26.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$171 7.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 5.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Sliema

$159 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 12.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,750 in Sliema versus $786 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 105% higher in Sliema, 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 $86.0 in Sliema versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $329 in Sliema vs $350 in Nosara – so Sliema wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

8 h behind Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sliema Nosara 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sliema
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

Sliema vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,371 in Sliema, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,556 per month in Sliema and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Sliema 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 Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Sliema at $2,371. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sliema it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sliema has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,371 in Sliema. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sliema makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.