Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterford and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,687 in Waterford, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,687 per month in Waterford vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Waterford $2,687
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Waterford vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Waterford $3,901
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,115 per month in Waterford vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Waterford $5,115
Nosara $3,818

Waterford costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waterford and Nosara sit above the global median – Waterford by 99%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.19 €19.74

$12.35 ₡5,539

79.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

48.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 €10.70

$7.52 ₡3,373

59.97%

Cappuccino

$4.15 €3.69

$4.41 ₡1,978

-5.90%

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

$3.04 €2.70

$1.74 ₡780

74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.31 ₡587

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 €6.51

$3.28 ₡1,471

123.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.33

$4.47 ₡2,004

34.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.56 ₡701

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.07

$3.02 ₡1,355

-22.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.51 ₡1,125

-9.56%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.70 €13.96

$7.43 ₡3,333

111.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.97 €9.76

$10.52 ₡4,717

4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 €11.89

$13.97 ₡6,265

-4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.35 ₡1,052

24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.61 ₡720

36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$4.80 ₡2,152

-36.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 €3.56

$1.61 ₡724

149.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.31

$3.80 ₡1,703

-61.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$3.69 ₡1,657

-59.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$2.66 ₡1,191

-29.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.37 €16.34

$5.18 ₡2,321

254.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 €12.50

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.90 ₡1,300

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.77

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.12 ₡504

153.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 €55.5

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-14.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 €4.51

$2.14 ₡958

136.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.57 ₡703

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.9 €48.81

$8.52 ₡3,823

544.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.52 ₡682

32.89%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

77.95%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

7.81%

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

$243 €217

$96.3 ₡43.2K

152.85%

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

$21.08 €18.75

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-41.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.89 €44.37

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-6.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 €44.02

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-30.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 €12.60

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-59.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 €15.08

$7.89 ₡3,539

114.96%

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

$985 €876

$494 ₡221.6K

99.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 €70.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

46.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 €42.96

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-12.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,509

$788 ₡353.4K

115.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,212

$794 ₡356.2K

71.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,272

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 €1,907

$1,419 ₡636.5K

51.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 €2,789

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-54.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,573 €2,288

$1,224 ₡549.0K

110.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 €2,812

$864 ₡387.3K

266.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

8.62

-51.97%

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

Last update for Waterford: 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

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 41.7% $569

Groceries & Markets

Waterford

$351 13.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.4% $1.2

Eating Out

Waterford

$332 12.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterford

$314 11.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 40.9% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Waterford

$157 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23.5% $37

Getting Around

Waterford

$86 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1.3% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Waterford

$83 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.7% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,697 in Waterford 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 266% higher in Waterford, 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 $91.0 in Waterford versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Waterford vs $352 in Nosara – so Waterford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Waterford

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

7 h behind Waterford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,300

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waterford Nosara 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterford
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

Waterford vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,687 in Waterford, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,031 per month in Waterford 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $985 per month in Waterford and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Waterford at $2,687. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterford 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,687 in Waterford. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waterford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.