Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Zagreb and in Nosara: $1,750 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,750

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,750 per month in Zagreb vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Zagreb $1,750
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,611 per month in Zagreb vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Zagreb $2,611
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,472 per month in Zagreb vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Zagreb $3,472
Nosara $3,712

Zagreb is about 5% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zagreb and Nosara sit above the global median – Zagreb by 31%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 €11.12

$12.22 ₡5,509

1.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 €56.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

4.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.30 €7.40

$7.54 ₡3,399

10.08%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$4.31 ₡1,941

-40.84%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$1.72 ₡773

72.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.35 ₡608

94.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.24 ₡1,459

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.02

$4.48 ₡2,018

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.57 ₡707

-18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.17 ₡1,429

-47.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.42 ₡1,091

11.57%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.57

$3.57 ₡1,609

12.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.54

$7.43 ₡3,349

104.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.71

$10.42 ₡4,697

15.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.74

$13.66 ₡6,156

29.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.32 ₡1,044

-0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.61 ₡728

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.74 ₡2,138

-56.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.66 ₡747

50.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$3.72 ₡1,679

-63.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$3.57 ₡1,611

-66.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.10 ₡497

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.55 ₡1,149

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 €5.27

$4.95 ₡2,232

19.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 €9.10

$20.01 ₡9,020

-49.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.79 ₡1,256

-41.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$3.53 ₡1,589

-27.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 €0.54

$1.19 ₡537

-48.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 €47.57

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-26.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.24 ₡1,011

-0.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.55 ₡701

-7.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.01 €10.72

$8.86 ₡3,993

35.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.57 ₡708

17.83%

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

$28.4K €25.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

30.45%

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

$27.5K €24.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-20.51%

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

$218 €195

$93.5 ₡42.1K

133.65%

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

$23.68 €21.13

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-32.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.14 €36.71

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-20.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.75

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-29.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 €16.68

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-47.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.82

$7.84 ₡3,535

11.73%

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

$489 €436

$490 ₡220.7K

-0.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,926

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-15.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €95.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

98.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 €38.00

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-23.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 €85.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$78.9 ₡35.6K

37.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 €768

$786 ₡354.3K

9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$780 ₡351.6K

-16.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,302

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-62.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 €926

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-26.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,152 €4,598

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-26.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 €3,169

$1,201 ₡541.3K

195.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,984 €1,771

$876 ₡395.0K

126.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.62

-61.72%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$652 37.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 19.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$318 18.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$283 16.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 36.4% $103

Eating Out

Zagreb

$203 11.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 3.1% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$159 9.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 24.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$68 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 28.7% $19

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $861 in Zagreb versus $786 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 126% higher in Zagreb, 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 $63.0 in Zagreb versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Zagreb vs $350 in Nosara – so Zagreb wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

8 h behind Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zagreb Nosara 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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

Zagreb vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,750 in Zagreb, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,625 per month in Zagreb and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zagreb, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Zagreb. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $489 per month in Zagreb and $490 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 Zagreb, where all-in costs run around $1,750, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Zagreb 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 $1,750 in Zagreb to $1,837 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 Zagreb. 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.