Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boroko and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $883 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$883

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $883 per month in Boroko vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Boroko $883
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,279 per month in Boroko vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Boroko $1,279
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,676 per month in Boroko vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Boroko $1,676
Nosara $3,712

Boroko is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Boroko sits 34% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.32 PGK 32.06

$12.22 ₡5,509

-40.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.97 PGK 153

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-41.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 PGK 24.74

$7.54 ₡3,399

-25.07%

Cappuccino

$2.49 PGK 10.91

$4.31 ₡1,941

-42.23%

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

$0.73 PGK 3.22

$1.72 ₡773

-57.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 PGK 2.99

$1.35 ₡608

-49.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PGK 11.28

$3.24 ₡1,459

-20.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 PGK 15.78

$4.48 ₡2,018

-19.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 PGK 6.60

$1.57 ₡707

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 PGK 5.27

$3.17 ₡1,429

-62.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PGK 5.34

$2.42 ₡1,091

-49.59%

Eggs

$3.69 PGK 16.19

$3.57 ₡1,609

3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PGK 21.53

$7.43 ₡3,349

-33.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 PGK 25.15

$10.42 ₡4,697

-44.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$13.66 ₡6,156

-52.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 PGK 17.21

$2.32 ₡1,044

69.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 PGK 13.74

$1.61 ₡728

94.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 PGK 11.76

$4.74 ₡2,138

-43.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 PGK 11.69

$1.66 ₡747

60.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 PGK 12.45

$3.72 ₡1,679

-23.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PGK 3.75

$3.57 ₡1,611

-76.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 PGK 4.94

$1.10 ₡497

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PGK 1.87

$2.55 ₡1,149

-83.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 PGK 24.16

$4.95 ₡2,232

11.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 PGK 21.33

$20.01 ₡9,020

-75.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PGK 4.95

$2.79 ₡1,256

-59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PGK 6.93

$3.53 ₡1,589

-55.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 PGK 1.88

$1.19 ₡537

-63.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.80 PGK 131

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-58.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 PGK 19.87

$2.24 ₡1,011

102.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 PGK 5.96

$1.55 ₡701

-12.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 PGK 48.99

$8.86 ₡3,993

26.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 PGK 3.47

$1.57 ₡708

-49.68%

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

$20.6K PGK 90.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-5.53%

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

$17.4K PGK 76.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-49.75%

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

$62.5 PGK 274

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-33.13%

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

$22.96 PGK 101

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-34.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 PGK 396

$51.5 ₡23.2K

75.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 PGK 185

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-40.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.52 PGK 63.6

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-59.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 PGK 28.73

$7.84 ₡3,535

-16.33%

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

$328 PGK 1,438

$490 ₡220.7K

-32.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 PGK 9,848

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-81.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.17 PGK 141

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-39.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.05 PGK 57.2

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-76.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.08 PGK 198

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-43.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.83 PGK 118

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-65.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,311 PGK 14.5K

$786 ₡354.3K

321.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 PGK 984

$780 ₡351.6K

-71.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,352 PGK 14.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-13.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 PGK 982

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-84.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$356 PGK 1,561

$876 ₡395.0K

-59.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

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

Last update for Boroko: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boroko

$225 25.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 247% $555

Groceries & Markets

Boroko

$211 23.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 65.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boroko

$176 19.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 2.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Boroko

$131 14.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 59.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Boroko

$55 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 57.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Boroko

$53 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 128% $68

Getting Around

Boroko

$43 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 103% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,311 in Boroko 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 146% 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 $35.00 in Boroko versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $350 – making Boroko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Boroko

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

16 h behind Boroko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 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 PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boroko Nosara 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Boroko
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

Boroko vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 108% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,324 per month in Boroko 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 Boroko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $328 per month in Boroko and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Boroko, where all-in costs run around $883, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Boroko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Boroko costs $883 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Boroko. 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.