Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Accra and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,073 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
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Accra Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,073

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,073 per month in Accra vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Accra $1,073
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Accra vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Accra $1,700
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,327 per month in Accra vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Accra $2,327
Nosara $3,712

Accra is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Accra sits 20% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 GHS 95.1

$12.22 ₡5,509

-33.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 GHS 608

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-13.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 GHS 123

$7.54 ₡3,399

38.73%

Cappuccino

$4.51 GHS 52.9

$4.31 ₡1,941

4.64%

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

$1.54 GHS 18.10

$1.72 ₡773

-10.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 GHS 5.24

$1.35 ₡608

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 GHS 21.84

$3.24 ₡1,459

-42.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 GHS 26.29

$4.48 ₡2,018

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.61 GHS 42.37

$1.57 ₡707

129.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 GHS 18.64

$3.17 ₡1,429

-49.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 GHS 37.42

$2.42 ₡1,091

31.82%

Eggs

$2.58 GHS 30.24

$3.57 ₡1,609

-27.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 GHS 140

$7.43 ₡3,349

60.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 GHS 82.3

$10.42 ₡4,697

-32.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 GHS 116

$13.66 ₡6,156

-27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 GHS 43.24

$2.32 ₡1,044

59.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.41

$1.61 ₡728

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 GHS 20.85

$4.74 ₡2,138

-62.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 GHS 43.12

$1.66 ₡747

121.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 GHS 31.00

$3.72 ₡1,679

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 GHS 30.68

$3.57 ₡1,611

-26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 GHS 8.86

$1.10 ₡497

-30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 GHS 6.97

$2.55 ₡1,149

-76.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 GHS 29.32

$4.95 ₡2,232

-49.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 GHS 86.0

$20.01 ₡9,020

-63.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 GHS 14.99

$2.79 ₡1,256

-54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 GHS 26.89

$3.53 ₡1,589

-35.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 GHS 17.28

$1.19 ₡537

23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.26 GHS 472

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-44.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 GHS 20.23

$2.24 ₡1,011

-23.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 GHS 14.70

$1.55 ₡701

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 GHS 48.79

$8.86 ₡3,993

-53.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 GHS 15.06

$1.57 ₡708

-18.47%

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

$8,061 GHS 94.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-63.03%

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

$9,921 GHS 116.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-71.36%

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

$74.8 GHS 877

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-20.01%

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

$18.90 GHS 222

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-46.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.82 GHS 491

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-18.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 GHS 840

$71.4 ₡32.2K

0.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 GHS 212

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-49.01%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 GHS 148

$7.84 ₡3,535

60.59%

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

$470 GHS 5,510

$490 ₡220.7K

-4.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 218.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

56.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.28 GHS 167

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-73.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.36 GHS 215

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-67.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.02 GHS 423

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-54.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 GHS 615

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-33.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 GHS 8,109

$786 ₡354.3K

-12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 GHS 3,286

$780 ₡351.6K

-64.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 GHS 12.8K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-71.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 GHS 5,480

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-66.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 GHS 32.8K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-59.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 GHS 16.7K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

18.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$175 GHS 2,048

$876 ₡395.0K

-80.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

8.62

210.32%

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

Last update for Accra: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Accra

$280 26.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 178% $500

Groceries & Markets

Accra

$277 25.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 26.2% $73

Eating Out

Accra

$172 16.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 21.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Accra

$135 12.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 32.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Accra

$97 9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Accra

$54 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 121% $66

Getting Around

Accra

$54 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 60.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Accra versus $786 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 402% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Accra versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $350 – making Accra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Accra

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

19:54 7:54 PM

6 h behind Accra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,388,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Accra Nosara 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Accra
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

Accra vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,073 in Accra, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,610 per month in Accra and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Accra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Accra and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Accra, where all-in costs run around $1,073, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Accra 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 $1,073 in Accra to $1,837 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 Accra. 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.