Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tetovo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetovo: $995 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tetovo
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$995
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $995 per month in Tetovo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tetovo $995
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,498 per month in Tetovo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tetovo $1,498
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,001 per month in Tetovo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Tetovo $2,001
  • Nosara $3,818

Tetovo is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tetovo sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.35 MKD 401
$12.35 ₡5,539
-40.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.44 MKD 1,497
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-55.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.84 MKD 319
$7.52 ₡3,373
-22.34%
Cappuccino
$1.49 MKD 81.4
$4.41 ₡1,978
-66.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 MKD 80.7
$1.74 ₡780
-14.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 MKD 50.4
$1.31 ₡587
-29.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 MKD 118
$3.28 ₡1,471
-34.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 MKD 120
$4.47 ₡2,004
-50.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 MKD 68.2
$1.56 ₡701
-19.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.63 MKD 34.44
$3.02 ₡1,355
-79.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 MKD 71.0
$2.51 ₡1,125
-48.21%
Eggs
$2.12 MKD 116
$3.57 ₡1,603
-40.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.23 MKD 394
$7.43 ₡3,333
-2.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.34 MKD 291
$10.52 ₡4,717
-49.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.05 MKD 548
$13.97 ₡6,265
-28.06%
Apples (1kg)
$1.43 MKD 78.1
$2.35 ₡1,052
-39.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 MKD 79.2
$1.61 ₡720
-9.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.99 MKD 54.0
$4.80 ₡2,152
-79.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 MKD 103
$1.61 ₡724
16.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 MKD 49.04
$3.80 ₡1,703
-76.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 MKD 37.87
$3.69 ₡1,657
-81.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.58 MKD 31.79
$1.13 ₡507
-48.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 MKD 27.27
$2.66 ₡1,191
-81.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 MKD 166
$5.18 ₡2,321
-41.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.50 MKD 245
$19.88 ₡8,916
-77.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 MKD 55.1
$2.90 ₡1,300
-65.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 MKD 78.1
$3.63 ₡1,626
-60.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 MKD 20.19
$1.12 ₡504
-66.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.77 MKD 588
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-85.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 MKD 58.6
$2.14 ₡958
-50.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 MKD 30.35
$1.57 ₡703
-64.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.71 MKD 421
$8.52 ₡3,823
-9.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 MKD 81.4
$1.52 ₡682
-1.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.9K MKD 2.0M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
66.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K MKD 1.5M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-19.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 MKD 8,610
$96.3 ₡43.2K
63.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.78 MKD 970
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-50.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.94 MKD 1,033
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-64.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.1 MKD 3,822
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-2.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.00 MKD 982
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-48.44%
Cinema Ticket
$5.49 MKD 300
$7.89 ₡3,539
-30.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$220 MKD 12.0K
$494 ₡221.6K
-55.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,152 MKD 117.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-81.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 MKD 3,430
$53.9 ₡24.2K
16.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.22 MKD 1,976
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-34.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.6 MKD 5,435
$77.9 ₡34.9K
27.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MKD 6,104
$79.6 ₡35.7K
40.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$353 MKD 19.3K
$788 ₡353.4K
-55.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$275 MKD 15.0K
$794 ₡356.2K
-65.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$575 MKD 31.4K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-85.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$489 MKD 26.7K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-65.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,214 MKD 66.2K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-82.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,079 MKD 58.8K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-11.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tetovo
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$858 MKD 46.8K
$864 ₡387.3K
-0.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.75
8.62
-56.50%

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

Last update for Tetovo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tetovo
$275
Nosara
$794 189% $520
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tetovo
$195
Nosara
$186 4.5% $8.8
Groceries & Markets
Tetovo
$170
Nosara
$352 108% $183
Clothing & Footwear
Tetovo
$140
Nosara
$120 14.1% $20
Eating Out
Tetovo
$119
Nosara
$212 77.9% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Tetovo
$81
Nosara
$87 7.8% $6.3
Getting Around
Tetovo
$16
Nosara
$87 441% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $353 in Tetovo 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 1% higher in Nosara, 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 $27.00 in Tetovo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $352 – making Tetovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Tetovo
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
10:44 10:44 AM
02:44 2:44 AM
8 h behind Tetovo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
53,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tetovo Nosara 10,600 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tetovo
  • 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
Tetovo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tetovo and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $995 in Tetovo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Tetovo compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,492 per month in Tetovo and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tetovo and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tetovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Tetovo and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 574% less in Tetovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tetovo and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $220 per month in Tetovo and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tetovo, where all-in costs run around $995, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tetovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Tetovo and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $995 in Tetovo to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tetovo or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Tetovo and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Tetovo. 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.

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