Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zadar: $1,687 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Zadar $1,687
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,572 per month in Zadar vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zadar $2,572
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,457 per month in Zadar vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zadar $3,457
Nosara $3,818

Zadar is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zadar and Nosara sit above the global median – Zadar by 25%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.55 €12.95

$12.35 ₡5,539

17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.3 €69.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

28.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 €6.83

$7.52 ₡3,373

1.99%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.13

$4.41 ₡1,978

-45.58%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.74 ₡780

70.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ₡587

67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

25.10%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$3.57 ₡1,603

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 €9.61

$7.43 ₡3,333

45.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 €8.43

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 €10.71

$13.97 ₡6,265

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.35 ₡1,052

-15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.61 ₡720

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.61 ₡724

61.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.80 ₡1,703

-41.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$3.69 ₡1,657

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.13 ₡507

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.66 ₡1,191

-53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 €4.98

$5.18 ₡2,321

7.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.97

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.90 ₡1,300

-53.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.63 ₡1,626

-61.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.12 ₡504

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.69 €38.86

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.14 ₡958

59.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.57 ₡703

41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.05 €19.61

$8.52 ₡3,823

158.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.52 ₡682

17.11%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

21.51%

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

$25.1K €22.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.30%

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

$182 €162

$96.3 ₡43.2K

89.27%

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

$22.01 €19.58

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-38.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 €35.73

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-25.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.92

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-21.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 €15.14

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-51.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$7.89 ₡3,539

34.09%

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

$240 €214

$494 ₡221.6K

-51.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,907 €6,144

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-41.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

63.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.74

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-35.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

33.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 €69.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €804

$788 ₡353.4K

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 €606

$794 ₡356.2K

-14.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,009

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-20.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,481 €3,985

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-35.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,044 €3,597

$1,224 ₡549.0K

230.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,360 €1,210

$864 ₡387.3K

57.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

8.62

-58.93%

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

Last update for Zadar: 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

Zadar

$681 40.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 16.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$267 15.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 31.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$244 14.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 24% $59

Eating Out

Zadar

$214 12.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 1.2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$138 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$77 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 13.1% $10

Getting Around

Zadar

$65 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 33.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $904 in Zadar 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 57% higher in Zadar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Zadar versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Zadar vs $352 in Nosara – so Zadar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

8 h behind Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

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

Zadar Nosara 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zadar
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

Zadar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,687 in Zadar, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,531 per month in Zadar 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 Zadar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Zadar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Zadar 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 Zadar, where all-in costs run around $1,687, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zadar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Zadar has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,687 in Zadar 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 Zadar. 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.