Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szczecin and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecin: $1,331 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
Learn more

Szczecin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,331

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Szczecin vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Szczecin $1,331
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,974 per month in Szczecin vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Szczecin $1,974
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,618 per month in Szczecin vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Szczecin $2,618
Nosara $3,712

Szczecin is about 28% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Szczecin sits 1% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 zł 34.04

$12.22 ₡5,509

-28.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.79 zł 179

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-23.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 zł 32.50

$7.54 ₡3,399

10.34%

Cappuccino

$2.93 zł 11.44

$4.31 ₡1,941

-32.02%

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

$1.80 zł 7.05

$1.72 ₡773

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 zł 5.52

$1.35 ₡608

4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 zł 11.64

$3.24 ₡1,459

-8.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 zł 12.09

$4.48 ₡2,018

-31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 zł 3.61

$1.57 ₡707

-41.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 zł 4.90

$3.17 ₡1,429

-60.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.16

$2.42 ₡1,091

-56.20%

Eggs

$3.24 zł 12.68

$3.57 ₡1,609

-9.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 zł 36.70

$7.43 ₡3,349

26.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.25 zł 24.43

$10.42 ₡4,697

-40.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 zł 50.8

$13.66 ₡6,156

-4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 zł 3.77

$2.32 ₡1,044

-58.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 zł 6.39

$1.61 ₡728

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 zł 6.19

$4.74 ₡2,138

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 zł 9.14

$1.66 ₡747

40.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 zł 3.32

$3.72 ₡1,679

-77.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 zł 4.20

$3.57 ₡1,611

-70.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 zł 4.36

$1.10 ₡497

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 zł 2.33

$2.55 ₡1,149

-76.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.28 zł 20.64

$4.95 ₡2,232

6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 zł 25.38

$20.01 ₡9,020

-67.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 zł 4.17

$2.79 ₡1,256

-61.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 zł 5.70

$3.53 ₡1,589

-58.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 zł 2.90

$1.19 ₡537

-37.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.11 zł 98.2

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-65.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 zł 7.69

$2.24 ₡1,011

-12.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 zł 3.67

$1.55 ₡701

-39.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.96 zł 50.7

$8.86 ₡3,993

46.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 zł 6.44

$1.57 ₡708

5.10%

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

$30.2K zł 118.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

38.51%

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

$28.4K zł 111.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-17.87%

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

$243 zł 949

$93.5 ₡42.1K

159.70%

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

$12.39 zł 48.42

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-64.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.74 zł 73.3

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-63.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.15 zł 118

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-57.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.87 zł 195

$35.44 ₡16.0K

40.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 zł 25.09

$7.84 ₡3,535

-18.11%

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

$329 zł 1,287

$490 ₡220.7K

-32.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,675 zł 30.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-35.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 zł 273

$53.5 ₡24.1K

30.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.71 zł 140

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-35.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 zł 314

$79.3 ₡35.7K

1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 zł 350

$78.9 ₡35.6K

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 zł 2,407

$786 ₡354.3K

-21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 zł 1,894

$780 ₡351.6K

-37.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 zł 4,506

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-70.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 zł 3,184

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-42.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 zł 13.1K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-51.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,339 zł 9,142

$1,201 ₡541.3K

94.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,622 zł 6,339

$876 ₡395.0K

85.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Szczecin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szczecin

$485 36.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 60.9% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szczecin

$274 20.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 34.2% $94

Groceries & Markets

Szczecin

$208 15.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 68.4% $142

Eating Out

Szczecin

$164 12.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 28% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Szczecin

$124 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 2.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Szczecin

$43 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 103% $44

Getting Around

Szczecin

$35 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 150% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $616 in Szczecin 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 85% higher in Szczecin, 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 $46.00 in Szczecin versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $350 – making Szczecin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

01:39 1:39 AM

8 h behind Szczecin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

387,700

4,912

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

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 PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Szczecin Nosara 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Szczecin
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

Szczecin vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Szczecin, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Szczecin 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 Szczecin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 187% less in Szczecin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Szczecin and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szczecin, where all-in costs run around $1,331, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Szczecin 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 $1,331 in Szczecin to $1,837 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 Szczecin. 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.