Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umag and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Umag: $1,532 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Umag
Learn more

Umag Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Umag

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,532

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Umag vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Umag $1,532
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,439 per month in Umag vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Umag $2,439
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Umag vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Umag $3,345
Nosara $3,818

Umag is about 17% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Umag and Nosara sit above the global median – Umag by 13%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.31 €10.99

$12.35 ₡5,550

-0.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 €56.7

$61.2 ₡27.5K

3.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.08

$7.52 ₡3,379

5.45%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.95

$4.41 ₡1,982

-50.57%

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

$2.98 €2.66

$1.74 ₡781

71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.31 ₡588

71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$3.28 ₡1,474

1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.00

$4.47 ₡2,008

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.56 ₡702

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$3.02 ₡1,358

-47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.51 ₡1,127

8.37%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.47

$3.57 ₡1,606

8.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 €13.23

$7.43 ₡3,340

99.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.53

$10.52 ₡4,727

12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.92 €16.00

$13.97 ₡6,277

28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.35 ₡1,054

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.61 ₡721

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$4.80 ₡2,156

-57.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.61 ₡725

55.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$3.80 ₡1,706

-65.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$3.69 ₡1,660

-69.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.13 ₡508

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.25

$2.66 ₡1,193

-47.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 €5.27

$5.18 ₡2,326

13.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.09 €9.01

$19.88 ₡8,934

-49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.90 ₡1,303

-42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.63 ₡1,629

-29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.12 ₡505

61.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.73 €35.48

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-45.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.14 ₡960

3.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.57 ₡705

-13.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 €10.66

$8.52 ₡3,830

40.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.52 ₡683

26.32%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

28.15%

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

$26.9K €24.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.15%

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

$215 €192

$96.3 ₡43.3K

122.87%

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

$22.92 €20.47

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-36.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.61 €36.27

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-24.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.54

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-27.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.38 €13.74

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 €7.49

$7.89 ₡3,546

6.34%

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

$495 €442

$494 ₡222.0K

0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,808 €8,758

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-17.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

98.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 €38.67

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-21.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.6

$77.9 ₡35.0K

21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.3

$79.6 ₡35.8K

38.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 €601

$788 ₡354.1K

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 €409

$794 ₡356.9K

-42.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,025

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 €873

$1,419 ₡637.7K

-31.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,640 €4,143

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-32.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,948 €2,632

$1,224 ₡550.0K

140.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.62

-61.72%

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

Last update for Umag: 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

Umag

$458 29.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 73.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Umag

$316 20.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umag

$278 18.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 33.2% $92

Eating Out

Umag

$195 12.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 8.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Umag

$160 10.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Umag

$69 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.8% $18

Getting Around

Umag

$56 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 55.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Umag 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Umag versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $316 in Umag vs $352 in Nosara – so Umag wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Umag

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

8 h behind Umag

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

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 = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Umag Nosara 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Umag
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

Umag vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,532 in Umag, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Umag 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 Umag, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Umag. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $495 per month in Umag and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Umag, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Umag 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 $1,532 in Umag 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 Umag. 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.