Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabol and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabol: $515 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Zabol
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Zabol Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Zabol

🇮🇷 Iran

$515

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $515 per month in Zabol vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zabol $515
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $817 per month in Zabol vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zabol $817
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,118 per month in Zabol vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zabol $1,118
Nosara $3,818

Zabol is about 72% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zabol sits 62% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 $2.04

$12.35 ₡5,539

-83.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.63 $16.63

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.63 $3.63

$7.52 ₡3,373

-51.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$0.48 $0.48

$4.41 ₡1,978

-89.12%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$1.74 ₡780

-71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.31 ₡587

-16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.56 ₡701

-58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$3.02 ₡1,355

-84.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-11.55%

Eggs

$1.34 $1.34

$3.57 ₡1,603

-62.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$7.43 ₡3,333

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$10.52 ₡4,717

-65.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.08 $9.08

$13.97 ₡6,265

-35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.35 ₡1,052

-61.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.61 ₡720

-8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$4.80 ₡2,152

-81.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.61 ₡724

-59.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$3.80 ₡1,703

-83.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 $0.43

$3.69 ₡1,657

-88.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.13 ₡507

-55.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 $0.22

$2.66 ₡1,191

-91.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.87 $0.87

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 $2.43

$5.18 ₡2,321

-53.09%

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)

$0.16 $0.16

$1.12 ₡504

-85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.88 $8.88

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-87.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 $0.46

$2.14 ₡958

-78.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 $0.27

$1.57 ₡703

-82.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 $2.49

$8.52 ₡3,823

-70.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.52 ₡682

-93.42%

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

$49.5K $49.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

129.07%

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

$46.9K $46.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

35.94%

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

$12.14 $12.14

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-87.39%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-95.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.72 $3.72

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-93.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.56 $20.56

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-71.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.63 $13.63

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.96%

Cinema Ticket

$1.72 $1.72

$7.89 ₡3,539

-78.20%

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

$112 $112

$494 ₡221.6K

-77.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,137 $2,137

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-81.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 $24.88

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-53.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.02 $25.02

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-54.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$77.9 ₡34.9K

36.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 $74.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-7.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$291 $291

$788 ₡353.4K

-63.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 $209

$794 ₡356.2K

-73.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 $809

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 $354

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-75.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,142 $1,142

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$546 $546

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-55.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$151 $151

$864 ₡387.3K

-82.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

8.62

181.90%

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

Last update for Zabol: 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

Zabol

$209 40.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 281% $586

Groceries & Markets

Zabol

$111 21.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 217% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Zabol

$104 20.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.9% $16

Eating Out

Zabol

$39 7.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 440% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Zabol

$24 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 264% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabol

$17 3.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 972% $168

Getting Around

Zabol

$11 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 672% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $291 in Zabol 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 473% higher in Nosara, 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 $17.00 in Zabol versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $111 vs $352 – making Zabol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Zabol

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

9 h 30 min behind Zabol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

4,912

💱 Currency

USD USD

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zabol Nosara 14,270 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Zabol
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zabol vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $515 in Zabol, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 257% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $773 per month in Zabol 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 Zabol, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 718% less in Zabol. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Zabol 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 Zabol, where all-in costs run around $515, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zabol 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 $515 in Zabol 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 Zabol. 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.