Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zahlah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $997 per month in Zahlah vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zahlah $997
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,599 per month in Zahlah vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zahlah $1,599
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,201 per month in Zahlah vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zahlah $2,201
Nosara $3,818

Zahlah is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zahlah sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

$12.35 ₡5,539

-3.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

$61.2 ₡27.4K

13.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

$7.52 ₡3,373

30.98%

Cappuccino

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

$4.41 ₡1,978

2.04%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

$1.74 ₡780

37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

$1.31 ₡587

-30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

$3.28 ₡1,471

52.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

$4.47 ₡2,004

8.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

$1.56 ₡701

24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

$3.02 ₡1,355

-71.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

$2.51 ₡1,125

-10.76%

Eggs

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

$3.57 ₡1,603

-0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

$7.43 ₡3,333

51.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

$13.97 ₡6,265

6.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

$2.35 ₡1,052

28.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

$1.61 ₡720

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

$4.80 ₡2,152

-66.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

$1.61 ₡724

-8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

$3.69 ₡1,657

-56.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

$1.13 ₡507

2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

$2.66 ₡1,191

-73.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-43.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

$3.63 ₡1,626

-31.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

$2.14 ₡958

127.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

$1.57 ₡703

42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

$8.52 ₡3,823

161.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

$1.52 ₡682

-31.58%

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

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

$21.6K ₡9.7M

150.75%

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

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.41%

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

$233 LBP 20.9M

$96.3 ₡43.2K

142.42%

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

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-37.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-29.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

$7.89 ₡3,539

24.33%

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

$675 LBP 60.4M

$494 ₡221.6K

36.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-11.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

$53.9 ₡24.2K

24.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 LBP 12.3M

$77.9 ₡34.9K

76.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.6M

$79.6 ₡35.7K

49.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

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

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zahlah

$294 29.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 36.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Zahlah

$274 27.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 28.8% $79

Eating Out

Zahlah

$227 22.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 6.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Zahlah

$167 16.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 28.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Zahlah

$20 * 2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 345% $68

Getting Around

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 443% $71

Accommodation & Living

Zahlah

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Zahlah versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Zahlah vs $352 in Nosara – so Zahlah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

9 h behind Zahlah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,145

4,912

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

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 LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zahlah Nosara 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Zahlah
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

Zahlah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $997 in Zahlah, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,496 per month in Zahlah and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Zahlah and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zahlah, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zahlah 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 $997 in Zahlah 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 Zahlah. 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.