Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Žalec and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Žalec: $1,668 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
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Žalec Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,668

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,668 per month in Žalec vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Žalec $1,668
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,408 per month in Žalec vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Žalec $2,408
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,148 per month in Žalec vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Žalec $3,148
Nosara $3,818

Žalec is about 9% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Žalec and Nosara sit above the global median – Žalec by 24%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.00 €8.89

$12.35 ₡5,539

-19.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.77 €36.27

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 €7.03

$7.52 ₡3,373

5.19%

Cappuccino

$1.93 €1.71

$4.41 ₡1,978

-56.24%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$1.74 ₡780

81.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.31 ₡587

29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.41

$3.28 ₡1,471

17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.39

$4.47 ₡2,004

-14.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.51 ₡1,125

-27.49%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$3.57 ₡1,603

14.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 €8.10

$7.43 ₡3,333

22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 €8.62

$10.52 ₡4,717

-7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 €13.38

$13.97 ₡6,265

7.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.35 ₡1,052

-18.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.61 ₡720

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$4.80 ₡2,152

-59.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.44

$1.61 ₡724

70.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 €0.91

$3.80 ₡1,703

-72.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 €0.72

$3.69 ₡1,657

-78.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.13 ₡507

20.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$2.66 ₡1,191

-73.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$5.18 ₡2,321

18.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 €5.89

$19.88 ₡8,916

-66.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.23

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.63 ₡1,626

-47.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.12 ₡504

24.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.91 €30.17

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.14 ₡958

-9.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.57 ₡703

-16.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.74 €16.67

$8.52 ₡3,823

119.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.52 ₡682

11.18%

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

$28.9K €25.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

33.93%

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

$24.9K €22.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.95%

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

$285 €254

$96.3 ₡43.2K

196.00%

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

$16.58 €14.75

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-53.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 €25.19

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 €57.7

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-9.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.97

$7.89 ₡3,539

27.88%

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

$651 €579

$494 ₡221.6K

31.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

19.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €83.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

73.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.66 €32.61

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

41.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$79.6 ₡35.7K

54.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 €631

$788 ₡353.4K

-9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 €538

$794 ₡356.2K

-23.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 €1,048

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-70.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €892

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-29.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,312 €2,946

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,285 €2,922

$1,224 ₡549.0K

168.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,466 €1,304

$864 ₡387.3K

69.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

8.62

-58.70%

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

Last update for Žalec: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Žalec

$605 36.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 31.3% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Žalec

$330 19.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 43.7% $144

Groceries & Markets

Žalec

$264 15.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 33.7% $89

Eating Out

Žalec

$173 10.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Žalec

$164 9.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Žalec

$85 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Žalec

$48 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 81.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $709 in Žalec 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 70% higher in Žalec, 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 $41.00 in Žalec versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $352 – making Žalec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Žalec

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

8 h behind Žalec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Žalec Nosara 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Žalec
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

Žalec vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,668 in Žalec, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,502 per month in Žalec 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 Žalec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 114% less in Žalec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $651 per month in Žalec 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 Žalec, where all-in costs run around $1,668, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Žalec 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 $1,668 in Žalec 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 Žalec. 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.