Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $1,694 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,694 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,694
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Zaragoza vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zaragoza $2,478
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Zaragoza vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zaragoza $3,263
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 €14.72

$12.35 ₡5,539

33.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 €50.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.52 ₡3,373

49.87%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$4.41 ₡1,978

-51.93%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$1.74 ₡780

39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.31 ₡587

17.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.28 ₡1,471

4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$3.02 ₡1,355

-35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.51 ₡1,125

-40.64%

Eggs

$2.81 €2.50

$3.57 ₡1,603

-21.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.17 €14.39

$7.43 ₡3,333

117.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 €7.98

$10.52 ₡4,717

-14.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.00 €18.68

$13.97 ₡6,265

50.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.35 ₡1,052

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.61 ₡720

55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.61 ₡724

91.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.13 ₡507

56.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$5.18 ₡2,321

18.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$19.88 ₡8,916

-77.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.63 ₡1,626

-4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.12 ₡504

50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 €28.38

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.14 ₡958

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.57 ₡703

-32.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$8.52 ₡3,823

242.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.52 ₡682

16.45%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.57%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.05%

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

$161 €144

$96.3 ₡43.2K

67.66%

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

$11.52 €10.25

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 €18.97

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-60.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.72 €31.78

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-50.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.36 €12.77

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-58.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 €8.09

$7.89 ₡3,539

15.34%

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

$493 €439

$494 ₡221.6K

-0.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,876 €7,006

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-33.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

65.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.48 €34.23

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-30.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 €721

$788 ₡353.4K

2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €630

$794 ₡356.2K

-10.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 €1,145

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 €898

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-28.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,196 €2,843

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-53.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,944 €1,729

$1,224 ₡549.0K

58.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,009 €1,787

$864 ₡387.3K

132.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.62

-59.86%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: 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

Zaragoza

$709 41.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 12.1% $86

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$306 18.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15.2% $47

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$231 13.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 8.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$194 11.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 4.4% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$154 9.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$54 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 62.1% $33

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$46 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 88.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $810 in Zaragoza 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 133% higher in Zaragoza, 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 $57.0 in Zaragoza versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $352 – making Zaragoza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

8 h behind Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

682,513

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

Zaragoza Nosara 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

Zaragoza vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,694 in Zaragoza, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,541 per month in Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Zaragoza. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Zaragoza and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Zaragoza, where all-in costs run around $1,694, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zaragoza 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 $1,694 in Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza. 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.