Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Van vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Van $956
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $1,536 per month in Van vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Van $1,536
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,116 per month in Van vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Van $2,116
Nosara $3,820

Van is about 48% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Van sits 30% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 ₺373

$12.36 ₡5,575

-39.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.59 ₺1,723

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺395

$7.88 ₡3,557

0.63%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₺178

$4.40 ₡1,986

-18.86%

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

$1.14 ₺56.6

$1.72 ₡776

-33.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₺21.17

$1.34 ₡603

-68.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₺166

$3.34 ₡1,505

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₺154

$4.54 ₡2,048

-31.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.67

$1.64 ₡739

-41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺49.80

$3.16 ₡1,426

-68.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.39 ₡1,080

-5.86%

Eggs

$1.48 ₺73.9

$3.47 ₡1,564

-57.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ₺448

$7.13 ₡3,217

26.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₺203

$10.32 ₡4,655

-60.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 ₺1,127

$13.97 ₡6,302

61.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.9

$2.29 ₡1,031

-20.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.1

$1.62 ₡731

12.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ₺54.3

$4.81 ₡2,169

-77.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₺57.4

$1.68 ₡758

-31.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ₺25.73

$3.91 ₡1,765

-86.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₺17.44

$3.63 ₡1,640

-90.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₺36.87

$1.13 ₡509

-34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.53

$2.63 ₡1,188

-76.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺108

$5.02 ₡2,267

-56.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 ₺516

$19.71 ₡8,893

-47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺99.9

$2.91 ₡1,314

-30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₺139

$3.54 ₡1,597

-21.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ₺36.59

$1.21 ₡545

-39.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₺64.6

$2.15 ₡969

-39.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₺37.85

$1.63 ₡738

-53.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ₺359

$8.77 ₡3,958

-17.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₺64.0

$1.55 ₡700

-17.42%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

24.66%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

1.12%

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

$79.9 ₺3,981

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-16.08%

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

$10.46 ₺521

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-71.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.39 ₺667

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-74.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 ₺2,841

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-15.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₺324

$7.54 ₡3,404

-13.93%

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

$624 ₺31.1K

$496 ₡224.0K

25.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ₺566.1K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-3.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 ₺2,285

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-16.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 ₺1,661

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-40.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₺3,969

$77.8 ₡35.1K

2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 ₺4,425

$79.1 ₡35.7K

12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ₺23.4K

$817 ₡368.9K

-42.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₺13.9K

$806 ₡363.6K

-65.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₺40.6K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-79.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₺29.2K

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-58.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 ₺74.3K

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-78.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 ₺48.2K

$1,197 ₡540.1K

-19.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.33

8.62

379.47%

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

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Van

$278 29.1%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 189% $527

Groceries & Markets

Van

$229 23.9%

Nosara

$351 19% 53.5% $122

Eating Out

Van

$156 16.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 37.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Van

$111 11.7%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 8.2% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Van

$104 10.9%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 76.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Van

$70 7.3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 18.1% $13

Getting Around

Van

$8 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 1007% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Van versus $817 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 $35 in Van versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $351 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Van

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

9 h behind Van

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,141,015

4,912

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Van Nosara 12,470 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Van
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

Van vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Van, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Van and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $817 in Nosara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Van and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Van to $1,846 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.