Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zebbug and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,935 in Zebbug, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zebbug outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,935

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,935 per month in Zebbug vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zebbug $1,935
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,072 per month in Zebbug vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zebbug $3,072
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,208 per month in Zebbug vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zebbug $4,208
Nosara $3,818

Zebbug costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zebbug and Nosara sit above the global median – Zebbug by 43%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$12.35 ₡5,539

59.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €70.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

30.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 €6.43

$7.52 ₡3,373

-3.86%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.74

$4.41 ₡1,978

-30.16%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.74 ₡780

29.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.31 ₡587

-16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

39.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 €4.24

$4.47 ₡2,004

6.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.56 ₡701

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.02 ₡1,355

-53.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 €3.18

$2.51 ₡1,125

42.63%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 €9.06

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$10.52 ₡4,717

12.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.45 €16.41

$13.97 ₡6,265

32.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 €3.26

$2.35 ₡1,052

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.61 ₡720

73.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.43

$4.80 ₡2,152

-19.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$1.61 ₡724

128.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.69 ₡1,657

-6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.13 ₡507

100.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.66 ₡1,191

-43.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$5.18 ₡2,321

18.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 €5.14

$19.88 ₡8,916

-70.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.90 ₡1,300

-15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.07

$3.63 ₡1,626

-35.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.12 ₡504

113.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 €3.46

$2.14 ₡958

81.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.57 ₡703

15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$8.52 ₡3,823

285.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.52 ₡682

-3.95%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.72%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

11.48%

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

$158 €140

$96.3 ₡43.2K

63.97%

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

$31.32 €27.86

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.42 €26.17

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 €53.0

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-16.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.22%

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

$275 €245

$494 ₡221.6K

-44.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 €50.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 €60.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

21.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

63.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,096

$788 ₡353.4K

56.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €752

$794 ₡356.2K

6.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 €1,456

$1,419 ₡636.5K

15.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,894 €3,464

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-43.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,048 €2,711

$1,224 ₡549.0K

148.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

8.62

-53.02%

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

Last update for Zebbug: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zebbug

$845 43.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 6% $51

Groceries & Markets

Zebbug

$341 17.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Zebbug

$263 13.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zebbug

$219 11.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 15% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Zebbug

$163 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Zebbug

$82 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.3% $5.1

Getting Around

Zebbug

$23 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 286% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,232 in Zebbug 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Zebbug versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $341 in Zebbug vs $352 in Nosara – so Zebbug wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

8 h behind Zebbug

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,770

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Zebbug Nosara 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zebbug
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

Zebbug vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,935 in Zebbug, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,903 per month in Zebbug 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Zebbug and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Zebbug – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Zebbug at $1,935. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zebbug 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $1,935 in Zebbug. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zebbug makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.