Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Julians and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
Learn more

St. Julians Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,257 per month in St. Julians vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Julians $2,257
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,588 per month in St. Julians vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Julians $3,588
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,919 per month in St. Julians vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Julians $4,919
Nosara $3,814

St. Julians costs about 23% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both St. Julians and Nosara sit above the global median – St. Julians by 67%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 €17.90

$12.34 ₡5,535

63.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 €88.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

61.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 €9.87

$7.76 ₡3,481

42.91%

Cappuccino

$3.27 €2.91

$4.44 ₡1,992

-26.35%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.79 ₡803

70.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.29 ₡580

47.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €4.06

$3.24 ₡1,451

41.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$4.43 ₡1,985

2.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.55 ₡696

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.08 ₡1,380

-43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$2.53 ₡1,133

33.60%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$3.45 ₡1,546

31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.75

$7.32 ₡3,284

157.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 €9.46

$10.24 ₡4,594

3.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 €15.97

$14.10 ₡6,326

27.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.29 ₡1,027

32.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.64 ₡737

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$4.79 ₡2,149

-39.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.64 ₡735

143.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$3.85 ₡1,727

-36.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$3.75 ₡1,681

-36.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.09 ₡488

75.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$2.59 ₡1,160

-65.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.02

$5.12 ₡2,295

32.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 €6.42

$19.92 ₡8,931

-63.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.80 ₡1,255

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.52 ₡1,580

-33.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.22 ₡549

109.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$2.17 ₡973

111.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.56 ₡698

5.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 €34.80

$8.67 ₡3,886

351.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.55 ₡697

-0.65%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.38%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

2.02%

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

$76.7 €68.2

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-19.16%

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

$35.28 €31.38

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-2.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.16 €31.27

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-33.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 €84.1

$73.8 ₡33.1K

28.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.97 €35.56

$35.63 ₡16.0K

12.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$7.91 ₡3,548

43.99%

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

$618 €550

$490 ₡219.9K

26.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

17.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 €130

$54.8 ₡24.6K

166.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 €49.02

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$80.4 ₡36.0K

50.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$77.9 ₡34.9K

110.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,237

$801 ₡359.1K

73.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 €999

$790 ₡354.1K

42.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,273

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,409 ₡632.0K

44.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,727 €5,094

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-18.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,143 €2,796

$1,236 ₡554.3K

154.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 €2,158

$887 ₡397.6K

173.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

8.62

-62.65%

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

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 29.7% $334

Groceries & Markets

St. Julians

$342 15.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 2.3% $8

Eating Out

St. Julians

$285 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

St. Julians

$219 9.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 44.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Julians

$147 6.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 25.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

St. Julians

$117 5.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 23.6% $28

Getting Around

St. Julians

$23 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 285% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in St. Julians 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.

Salaries run about 174% higher in St. Julians, 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 $99.0 in St. Julians versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $342 in St. Julians vs $350 in Nosara – so St. Julians wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

8 h behind St. Julians

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,792

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Julians Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Julians
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

St. Julians vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,257 in St. Julians, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,385 per month in St. Julians 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 Nosara, 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 $99.0 in St. Julians and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in St. Julians – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in St. Julians at $2,257. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Julians it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. St. Julians has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,257 in St. Julians. 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, St. Julians makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.