Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamako and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $907 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
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Bamako Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$907

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Bamako versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Bamako $907
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,475 in Bamako versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Bamako $1,475
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,042 in Bamako versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Bamako $2,042
Nosara $3,712

Living in Bamako costs roughly 51% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bamako is 32% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 F CFA 5,086

$12.22 ₡5,509

-28.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.22 F CFA 21.2K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-39.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.09 F CFA 4,731

$7.54 ₡3,399

7.29%

Cappuccino

$1.63 F CFA 955

$4.31 ₡1,941

-62.18%

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

$0.95 F CFA 557

$1.72 ₡773

-44.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 F CFA 383

$1.35 ₡608

-51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 F CFA 1,410

$3.24 ₡1,459

-25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

$4.48 ₡2,018

370.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 F CFA 1,127

$1.57 ₡707

22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 F CFA 2,281

$3.17 ₡1,429

23.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

Eggs

$5.84 F CFA 3,416

$3.57 ₡1,609

63.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

$7.43 ₡3,349

140.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.45 F CFA 9,034

$10.42 ₡4,697

48.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 F CFA 7,298

$13.66 ₡6,156

-8.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 F CFA 2,307

$2.32 ₡1,044

70.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 F CFA 601

$1.61 ₡728

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 F CFA 1,669

$4.74 ₡2,138

-39.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 F CFA 1,256

$1.66 ₡747

29.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 F CFA 706

$3.72 ₡1,679

-67.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 F CFA 665

$3.57 ₡1,611

-68.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.10 F CFA 59.0

$1.10 ₡497

-90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 F CFA 1,569

$2.55 ₡1,149

5.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 F CFA 913

$2.79 ₡1,256

-44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 F CFA 973

$3.53 ₡1,589

-52.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 F CFA 703

$1.55 ₡701

-22.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 F CFA 643

$1.57 ₡708

-29.94%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$149 F CFA 86.9K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

59.03%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 F CFA 38.5K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

27.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 F CFA 40.9K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-1.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 F CFA 101.8K

$786 ₡354.3K

-77.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.7 F CFA 47.2K

$780 ₡351.6K

-89.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 F CFA 297.6K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-86.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 F CFA 173.6K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-78.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,227 F CFA 717.0K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

2.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$266 F CFA 155.7K

$876 ₡395.0K

-69.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Bamako: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bamako

$348 * 38.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0.5% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamako

$214 * 24%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 16% $34

Eating Out

Bamako

$174 19.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 20.2% $35

Accommodation & Living

Bamako

$81 9%

Nosara

$780 43% 866% $699

Sport & Entertainment

Bamako

$70 * 7.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.4% $17

Getting Around

Bamako

$6 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1343% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Bamako

- * 0%

Nosara

$120 6.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $174 in Bamako and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 229% 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: $36.00 in Bamako vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $350 per month, with Bamako cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Bamako

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

6 h behind Bamako

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,809,106 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bamako Nosara 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bamako
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

Bamako vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 229% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $174 in Bamako versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $907 per month in Bamako versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $907 in Bamako versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bamako but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bamako the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bamako delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $907 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bamako hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bamako 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 Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.