Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $763 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Bulawayo $763
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Bulawayo vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,192
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Bulawayo vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,622
Nosara $3,712

Bulawayo is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bulawayo sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$12.22 ₡5,509

-62.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ZWL 809

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-49.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ZWL 131

$7.54 ₡3,399

-35.15%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

$4.31 ₡1,941

-51.51%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

$1.72 ₡773

-69.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

$1.35 ₡608

-72.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$3.24 ₡1,459

-54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

$4.48 ₡2,018

-54.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

$1.57 ₡707

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

$3.17 ₡1,429

-68.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

$2.42 ₡1,091

-35.95%

Eggs

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

$3.57 ₡1,609

-46.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 ZWL 256

$7.43 ₡3,349

29.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ZWL 107

$10.42 ₡4,697

-61.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.46 ZWL 119

$13.66 ₡6,156

-67.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

$2.32 ₡1,044

-20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

$1.61 ₡728

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

$4.74 ₡2,138

-48.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

$1.66 ₡747

-37.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

$3.72 ₡1,679

-65.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

$3.57 ₡1,611

-61.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

$2.55 ₡1,149

-70.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

$4.95 ₡2,232

-68.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$20.01 ₡9,020

-74.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

$2.79 ₡1,256

-51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

$3.53 ₡1,589

-47.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

$1.19 ₡537

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 ZWL 816

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-57.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$2.24 ₡1,011

31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$1.55 ₡701

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 135

$8.86 ₡3,993

-43.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

$1.57 ₡708

4.46%

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

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

12.71%

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

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.91%

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

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

$93.5 ₡42.1K

2.02%

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

$17.21 ZWL 460

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-50.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 ZWL 2,816

$51.5 ₡23.2K

104.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 ZWL 845

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-55.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 ZWL 536

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-43.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 ZWL 263

$7.84 ₡3,535

25.77%

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

$231 ZWL 6,175

$490 ₡220.7K

-52.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-70.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.96 ZWL 560

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-60.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.58 ZWL 309

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-79.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-42.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-26.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,695

$786 ₡354.3K

-77.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ZWL 2,863

$780 ₡351.6K

-86.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ZWL 11.1K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-89.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,679

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-76.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-70.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

70.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 ZWL 8,161

$876 ₡395.0K

-65.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

74.01%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 17.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 97.4% $172

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$107 14.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 628% $673

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 129% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$61 8.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 96.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 69.6% $36

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 87.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Bulawayo 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 187% 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 $30.00 in Bulawayo versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $350 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

8 h behind Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

4,912

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.96 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 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 ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Nosara 12,910 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
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

Bulawayo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,144 per month in Bulawayo 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 Bulawayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $763 in Bulawayo and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 141%.

Public transport costs about 136% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $763, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bulawayo. 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.