Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byumba and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $418 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
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Byumba Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$418

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $418 per month in Byumba vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Byumba $418
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $662 per month in Byumba vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Byumba $662
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $907 per month in Byumba vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Byumba $907
Nosara $3,712

Byumba is about 77% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Byumba sits 69% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 RWF 3,907

$12.22 ₡5,509

-78.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.91 RWF 45.4K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-48.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 RWF 10.2K

$7.54 ₡3,399

-8.36%

Cappuccino

$2.43 RWF 3,578

$4.31 ₡1,941

-43.62%

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

$0.81 RWF 1,186

$1.72 ₡773

-52.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 RWF 792

$1.35 ₡608

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 RWF 1,532

$3.24 ₡1,459

-67.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 RWF 3,452

$4.48 ₡2,018

-47.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$1.57 ₡707

-47.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 RWF 1,513

$3.17 ₡1,429

-67.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RWF 1,934

$2.42 ₡1,091

-45.45%

Eggs

$1.67 RWF 2,455

$3.57 ₡1,609

-53.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.10 RWF 6,023

$7.43 ₡3,349

-44.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 RWF 6,572

$10.42 ₡4,697

-57.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.45 RWF 6,536

$13.66 ₡6,156

-67.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 RWF 3,569

$2.32 ₡1,044

4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 RWF 1,117

$1.61 ₡728

-52.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RWF 2,192

$4.74 ₡2,138

-68.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 RWF 1,511

$1.66 ₡747

-37.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 RWF 709

$3.72 ₡1,679

-87.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RWF 1,052

$3.57 ₡1,611

-79.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RWF 1,003

$1.10 ₡497

-38.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$2.55 ₡1,149

-67.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,937

$4.95 ₡2,232

-59.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 RWF 14.9K

$20.01 ₡9,020

-49.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RWF 1,506

$2.79 ₡1,256

-63.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RWF 2,346

$3.53 ₡1,589

-54.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 RWF 4,043

$2.24 ₡1,011

22.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 RWF 2,926

$1.55 ₡701

28.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 RWF 4,872

$8.86 ₡3,993

-62.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RWF 2,692

$1.57 ₡708

16.56%

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

$26.4K RWF 38.9M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

21.31%

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

$30.0K RWF 44.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-13.36%

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

$83.6 RWF 122.8K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-10.57%

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

$6.84 RWF 10.0K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-80.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.24 RWF 31.2K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-58.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 RWF 5,038

$7.84 ₡3,535

-56.25%

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

$112 RWF 164.5K

$490 ₡220.7K

-77.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,390 RWF 13.8M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-20.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.43 RWF 25.6K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-67.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.75 RWF 23.1K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-71.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$21.88 RWF 32.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-72.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.44 RWF 50.6K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-56.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

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)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

8.62

87.94%

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

Last update for Byumba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Byumba

$150 36.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 133% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byumba

$112 27.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 61.3% $68

Eating Out

Byumba

$86 21.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 142% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Byumba

$40 9.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 199% $80

Getting Around

Byumba

$13 * 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 584% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Byumba

$6.9 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1171% $80

Accommodation & Living

Byumba

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Byumba versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $150 vs $350 – making Byumba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Byumba

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

23:11 11:11 PM

8 h behind Byumba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,134

4,912

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,649 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 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 RWF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Byumba Nosara 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Byumba
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

Byumba vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 340% more than Byumba, 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 $626 per month in Byumba and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Byumba and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% 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 Byumba, where all-in costs run around $418, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $418 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 Byumba. 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.