Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Strovolos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Strovolos: $1,629 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Strovolos
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Strovolos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Strovolos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,629

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,629 per month in Strovolos vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Strovolos $1,629
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,484 per month in Strovolos vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Strovolos $2,484
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,339 per month in Strovolos vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Strovolos $3,339
Nosara $3,818

Strovolos is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Strovolos and Nosara sit above the global median – Strovolos by 21%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.06

$12.35 ₡5,539

37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-8.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 €7.91

$7.52 ₡3,373

18.35%

Cappuccino

$3.60 €3.20

$4.41 ₡1,978

-18.37%

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

$2.19 €1.95

$1.74 ₡780

25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$1.31 ₡587

-33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 €3.62

$3.28 ₡1,471

24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.47 ₡2,004

25.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.56 ₡701

19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 €1.25

$3.02 ₡1,355

-53.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.51 ₡1,125

-7.97%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.13

$3.57 ₡1,603

29.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 €11.47

$7.43 ₡3,333

73.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 €7.86

$10.52 ₡4,717

-15.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.13

$13.97 ₡6,265

-10.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.35 ₡1,052

35.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.61 ₡720

11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.80 ₡2,152

-56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$1.61 ₡724

118.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.80 ₡1,703

-62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.13 ₡507

-48.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$5.18 ₡2,321

5.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$3.63 ₡1,626

-43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 €68.4

$72.6 ₡32.6K

5.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 €5.46

$2.14 ₡958

186.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.57 ₡703

25.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.12 €19.68

$8.52 ₡3,823

159.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.52 ₡682

17.76%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

49.85%

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

$31.9K €28.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.50%

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

$183 €162

$96.3 ₡43.2K

89.53%

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

$22.54 €20.05

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-37.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.28

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 €49.24

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-22.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.58 €20.09

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-35.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.28 €10.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

42.97%

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

$429 €381

$494 ₡221.6K

-13.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,563 €5,837

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-44.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.7 €73.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

53.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.34 €39.44

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-19.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 €82.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 €79.7

$79.6 ₡35.7K

12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 €603

$788 ₡353.4K

-13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 €491

$794 ₡356.2K

-30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 €936

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$953 €847

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-32.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,212 €1,968

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-67.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,224 ₡549.0K

84.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$864 ₡387.3K

95.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

8.62

-61.60%

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

Last update for Strovolos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Strovolos

$552 33.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44% $243

Groceries & Markets

Strovolos

$281 17.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 25.5% $72

Eating Out

Strovolos

$249 15.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 15% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Strovolos

$238 14.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Strovolos

$139 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.7% $19

Getting Around

Strovolos

$93 * 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 6.2% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Strovolos

$78 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.1% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $678 in Strovolos 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 95% higher in Strovolos, 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 $56.0 in Strovolos versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $352 – making Strovolos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Strovolos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

21:20 9:20 PM

9 h behind Strovolos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,904

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Strovolos Nosara 11,890 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Strovolos
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

Strovolos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,629 in Strovolos, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,444 per month in Strovolos 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 Strovolos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Strovolos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $429 per month in Strovolos and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Strovolos, where all-in costs run around $1,629, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Strovolos 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 $1,629 in Strovolos 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 Strovolos. 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.