Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiva and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiva: $1,135 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Thiva
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Thiva Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Thiva

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,135

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,135 per month in Thiva vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Thiva $1,135
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,551 per month in Thiva vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Thiva $1,551
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in Thiva vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Thiva $1,966
Nosara $3,814

Thiva is about 38% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thiva sits 16% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 €9.88

$12.34 ₡5,535

-10.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 €52.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-3.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 €5.92

$7.76 ₡3,481

-14.30%

Cappuccino

$2.48 €2.21

$4.44 ₡1,992

-44.14%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$1.79 ₡803

35.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$1.29 ₡580

-59.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.08

$3.24 ₡1,451

41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$4.43 ₡1,985

-38.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.55 ₡696

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.08 ₡1,380

-54.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.53 ₡1,133

-9.09%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.63

$3.45 ₡1,546

51.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 €10.20

$7.32 ₡3,284

56.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 €8.46

$10.24 ₡4,594

-7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.29 €12.71

$14.10 ₡6,326

1.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 €1.45

$2.29 ₡1,027

-28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.64 ₡737

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$4.79 ₡2,149

-77.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.64 ₡735

10.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$3.85 ₡1,727

-75.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$3.75 ₡1,681

-65.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.09 ₡488

-19.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.57

$2.59 ₡1,160

-75.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 €4.26

$5.12 ₡2,295

-6.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$19.92 ₡8,931

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.80 ₡1,255

-39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.52 ₡1,580

-44.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.22 ₡549

9.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 €3.30

$2.17 ₡973

70.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.56 ₡698

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.84 €12.31

$8.67 ₡3,886

59.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.55 ₡697

33.55%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.54%

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

$24.6K €21.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-36.61%

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

$163 €145

$94.8 ₡42.5K

71.54%

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

$24.50 €21.80

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-32.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.35 €25.22

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-46.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 €43.99

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-32.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.64 €22.80

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-28.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 €6.92

$7.91 ₡3,548

-1.64%

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

$331 €294

$490 ₡219.9K

-32.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,491 €3,994

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 €44.59

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-8.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 €30.45

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-38.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 €67.1

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €94.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

36.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 €300

$801 ₡359.1K

-57.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 €250

$790 ₡354.1K

-64.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 €548

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-84.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,723 €1,532

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-75.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,408 €1,253

$1,236 ₡554.3K

13.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,142 €1,016

$887 ₡397.6K

28.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

8.62

-49.42%

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

Last update for Thiva: 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

Thiva

$281 24.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 181% $508

Groceries & Markets

Thiva

$260 22.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 34.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thiva

$216 19%

Nosara

$184 10% 14.6% $31

Eating Out

Thiva

$179 15.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 19% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Thiva

$120 10.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Thiva

$65 5.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 37.8% $25

Getting Around

Thiva

$15 * 1.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 502% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $338 in Thiva 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 29% higher in Thiva, 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 $59.0 in Thiva versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $350 – making Thiva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thiva

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

9 h behind Thiva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,883

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

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Between locations

Thiva Nosara 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Thiva
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

Thiva vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,135 in Thiva, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,703 per month in Thiva 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 Thiva, 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 $59.0 in Thiva and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thiva, where all-in costs run around $1,135, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Thiva 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 $1,135 in Thiva to $1,835 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 Thiva. 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.