Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Wah: $408 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Wah
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Wah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Wah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$408

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $408 per month in Wah vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Wah $408
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $623 per month in Wah vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Wah $623
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $838 per month in Wah vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Wah $838
Nosara $3,818

Wah is about 78% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wah sits 70% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.78 PKR 493

$12.35 ₡5,539

-85.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.81 PKR 2,991

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-82.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 PKR 1,513

$7.52 ₡3,373

-27.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PKR 710

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 PKR 588

Cappuccino

$1.28 PKR 354

$4.41 ₡1,978

-70.98%

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

$0.33 PKR 92.7

$1.74 ₡780

-81.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 66.1

$1.31 ₡587

-81.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 232

$1.56 ₡701

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 PKR 182

$3.02 ₡1,355

-78.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 334

$2.51 ₡1,125

-51.79%

Eggs

$1.25 PKR 345

$3.57 ₡1,603

-64.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 PKR 2,465

$7.43 ₡3,333

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 PKR 714

$10.52 ₡4,717

-75.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.95 PKR 1,093

$13.97 ₡6,265

-71.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 296

$2.35 ₡1,052

-54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 PKR 169

$1.61 ₡720

-62.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 PKR 171

$4.80 ₡2,152

-87.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 PKR 164

$1.61 ₡724

-63.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 76.5

$3.80 ₡1,703

-92.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 PKR 131

$3.69 ₡1,657

-87.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PKR 123

$1.13 ₡507

-61.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 PKR 121

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 155

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 PKR 157

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 190

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.45 PKR 402

$5.18 ₡2,321

-72.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 PKR 42.36

$1.12 ₡504

-86.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.79 PKR 2,988

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-85.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 PKR 291

$2.14 ₡958

-50.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 PKR 294

$1.57 ₡703

-32.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 PKR 804

$8.52 ₡3,823

-65.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PKR 327

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

8.35%

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

$23.3K PKR 6.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-32.37%

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

$66.6 PKR 18.4K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-30.80%

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

$5.56 PKR 1,538

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-84.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.71 PKR 4,071

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-72.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.53 PKR 3,745

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-81.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.96 PKR 2,480

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-74.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 PKR 2,016

$7.89 ₡3,539

-7.60%

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

$26.80 PKR 7,419

$494 ₡221.6K

-94.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,047 PKR 566.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-82.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.31 PKR 5,345

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-64.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.33 PKR 7,288

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-52.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 PKR 14.8K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-31.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.70 PKR 8,219

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-62.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$144 PKR 39.8K

$788 ₡353.4K

-81.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.6 PKR 19.3K

$794 ₡356.2K

-91.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 PKR 61.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-94.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 PKR 36.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-90.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$929 PKR 257.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-86.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$506 PKR 140.0K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-58.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

8.62

37.24%

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

Last update for Wah: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wah

$99 24.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 254% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wah

$87 21.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 114% $99

Accommodation & Living

Wah

$70 17.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1041% $725

Clothing & Footwear

Wah

$58 14.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 107% $62

Eating Out

Wah

$48 11.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 339% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Wah

$28 6.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 211% $59

Getting Around

Wah

$18 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 390% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $144 in Wah 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 $11.00 in Wah versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $99.0 vs $352 – making Wah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Wah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

18:27 6:27 PM

11 h behind Wah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400,733

4,912

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

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 PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wah Nosara 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Wah
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

Wah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $408 in Wah, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 351% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $612 per month in Wah 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 Wah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 573% less in Wah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $26.80 per month in Wah and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wah, where all-in costs run around $408, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Wah 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 $408 in Wah 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 Wah. 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.