Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zupanja and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zupanja: $1,616 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Zupanja
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Zupanja Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zupanja

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,616

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,616 per month in Zupanja vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Zupanja $1,616
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,389 per month in Zupanja vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Zupanja $2,389
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,162 per month in Zupanja vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Zupanja $3,162
Nosara $3,818

Zupanja is about 12% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zupanja and Nosara sit above the global median – Zupanja by 20%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.51 €11.13

$12.35 ₡5,539

1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 €55.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

1.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 €7.29

$7.52 ₡3,373

9.04%

Cappuccino

$2.48 €2.20

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.76%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.74 ₡780

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.31 ₡587

97.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.28 ₡1,471

2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$4.47 ₡2,004

-2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.56 ₡701

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.51 ₡1,125

5.18%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.57

$3.57 ₡1,603

12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 €13.23

$7.43 ₡3,333

100.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.62 €15.68

$13.97 ₡6,265

26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.35 ₡1,052

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.61 ₡720

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.80 ₡2,152

-56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.61 ₡724

55.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.16

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$3.69 ₡1,657

-68.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.13 ₡507

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-49.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.73 €5.09

$5.18 ₡2,321

10.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 €8.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-49.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.90 ₡1,300

-43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.63 ₡1,626

-30.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.12 ₡504

41.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.75 €38.91

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.14 ₡958

7.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.57 ₡703

-14.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.56 €10.28

$8.52 ₡3,823

35.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.52 ₡682

26.32%

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

$27.9K €24.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

29.30%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.10%

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

$217 €193

$96.3 ₡43.2K

125.36%

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

$23.35 €20.77

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.03 €36.50

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-23.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.53

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-23.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.88 €13.24

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-57.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.88 €7.90

$7.89 ₡3,539

12.55%

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

$500 €445

$494 ₡221.6K

1.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,946

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-15.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

98.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.40 €37.71

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

34.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 €685

$788 ₡353.4K

-2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 €468

$794 ₡356.2K

-33.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 €946

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €689

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-45.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,045 €3,598

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-41.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,278 €2,915

$1,224 ₡549.0K

167.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Zupanja: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zupanja

$527 32.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 50.8% $268

Groceries & Markets

Zupanja

$316 19.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zupanja

$281 17.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 34% $96

Eating Out

Zupanja

$202 12.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4.7% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Zupanja

$158 9.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Zupanja

$72 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.8% $15

Getting Around

Zupanja

$59 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 47.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Zupanja 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 $62.0 in Zupanja versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $316 in Zupanja vs $352 in Nosara – so Zupanja wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zupanja

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

8 h behind Zupanja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zupanja Nosara 10,320 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zupanja
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

Zupanja vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,616 in Zupanja, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,424 per month in Zupanja 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 Zupanja, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Zupanja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $500 per month in Zupanja and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zupanja, where all-in costs run around $1,616, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Zupanja 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 $1,616 in Zupanja 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 Zupanja. 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.