Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,622 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
Learn more

Adelaide Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,622

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Adelaide versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Adelaide $2,622
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,683 in Adelaide versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Adelaide $3,683
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,744 in Adelaide versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Adelaide $4,744
Nosara $3,712

Living in Adelaide is roughly 43% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 96% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.44

$12.22 ₡5,509

44.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 A$106

$60.2 ₡27.1K

22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 A$16.46

$7.54 ₡3,399

51.99%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.79

$4.31 ₡1,941

-6.50%

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

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.72 ₡773

54.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.35 ₡608

79.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.13

$3.24 ₡1,459

139.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.14

$4.48 ₡2,018

88.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 A$2.79

$1.57 ₡707

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.12

$3.17 ₡1,429

-9.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.20

$2.42 ₡1,091

-8.26%

Eggs

$5.96 A$8.55

$3.57 ₡1,609

66.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 A$15.72

$7.43 ₡3,349

47.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 A$12.35

$10.42 ₡4,697

-17.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 A$26.41

$13.66 ₡6,156

34.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.63

$2.32 ₡1,044

68.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.29

$1.61 ₡728

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.81

$4.74 ₡2,138

-29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 A$7.20

$1.66 ₡747

201.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.81

$3.72 ₡1,679

-9.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.52

$3.57 ₡1,611

-31.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.10 ₡497

124.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.07

$2.55 ₡1,149

-16.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.98 A$63.2

$4.95 ₡2,232

788.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 A$19.95

$20.01 ₡9,020

-30.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$2.79 ₡1,256

91.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 A$9.01

$3.53 ₡1,589

77.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 A$4.44

$1.19 ₡537

159.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.3 A$121

$72.1 ₡32.5K

17.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 A$4.88

$2.24 ₡1,011

51.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 A$2.43

$1.55 ₡701

9.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.64 A$44.01

$8.86 ₡3,993

245.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.96

$1.57 ₡708

-12.74%

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

$27.0K A$38.8K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

23.94%

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

$27.5K A$39.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-20.58%

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

$177 A$255

$93.5 ₡42.1K

89.71%

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

$22.90 A$32.90

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-34.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

7.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 A$85.6

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-16.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.95 A$20.03

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-60.64%

Cinema Ticket

$16.75 A$24.07

$7.84 ₡3,535

113.65%

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

$2,079 A$2,986

$490 ₡220.7K

324.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K A$20.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

21.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 A$104

$53.5 ₡24.1K

34.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$78.0

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-2.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$79.3 ₡35.7K

45.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 A$202

$78.9 ₡35.6K

78.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 A$2,421

$786 ₡354.3K

114.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 A$1,829

$780 ₡351.6K

63.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,423 A$3,481

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-37.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 A$2,634

$1,407 ₡634.4K

30.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K A$14.6K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

45.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,932 A$9,957

$1,201 ₡541.3K

477.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,892 A$5,590

$876 ₡395.0K

344.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

8.62

-31.32%

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

Last update for Adelaide: 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

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 38.8% $494

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$405 15.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 13.8% $56

Eating Out

Adelaide

$300 11.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 30.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$256 9.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 29.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$172 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30.1% $52

Getting Around

Adelaide

$109 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$93 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,686 in Adelaide and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 344% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Adelaide vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

19:53 7:53 PM

16 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Adelaide Nosara 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
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

Adelaide vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Nosara differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($2,622 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 344% higher in Adelaide, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,686 in Adelaide versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,079 in Adelaide versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,622 in Adelaide, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.