Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dakar and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dakar: $1,429 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,429

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,429 in Dakar versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Dakar $1,429
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Dakar versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Dakar $2,206
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Dakar versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Dakar $2,983
Nosara $3,712

Living in Dakar costs roughly 22% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dakar 7% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.25 F CFA 3,071

$12.22 ₡5,509

-57.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-12.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 F CFA 6,444

$7.54 ₡3,399

46.02%

Cappuccino

$3.28 F CFA 1,921

$4.31 ₡1,941

-23.90%

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

$1.25 F CFA 729

$1.72 ₡773

-27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$1.35 ₡608

-37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 F CFA 1,535

$3.24 ₡1,459

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 F CFA 2,521

$4.48 ₡2,018

-3.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 F CFA 1,465

$1.57 ₡707

59.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 F CFA 439

$3.17 ₡1,429

-76.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 979

$2.42 ₡1,091

-30.99%

Eggs

$2.40 F CFA 1,403

$3.57 ₡1,609

-32.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.32 F CFA 10.1K

$7.43 ₡3,349

133.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 F CFA 5,336

$10.42 ₡4,697

-12.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 F CFA 6,533

$13.66 ₡6,156

-18.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 F CFA 1,858

$2.32 ₡1,044

37.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 F CFA 1,126

$1.61 ₡728

19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 F CFA 1,681

$4.74 ₡2,138

-39.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,011

$1.66 ₡747

4.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 F CFA 812

$3.72 ₡1,679

-62.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 F CFA 535

$3.57 ₡1,611

-74.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 F CFA 643

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 F CFA 380

$2.55 ₡1,149

-74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 F CFA 1,236

$4.95 ₡2,232

-57.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.95 F CFA 9,919

$20.01 ₡9,020

-15.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 F CFA 937

$2.79 ₡1,256

-42.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 F CFA 1,966

$3.53 ₡1,589

-4.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 240

$1.19 ₡537

-65.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.5 F CFA 45.3K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

7.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 F CFA 1,243

$2.24 ₡1,011

-5.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 F CFA 1,282

$1.55 ₡701

41.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 F CFA 9,996

$8.86 ₡3,993

92.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.57 ₡708

8.28%

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

$50.4K F CFA 29.5M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

131.35%

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

$47.7K F CFA 27.9M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

37.78%

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

$200 F CFA 117.1K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

114.25%

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

$11.58 F CFA 6,774

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 F CFA 27.0K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-10.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.68 F CFA 26.1K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-37.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 F CFA 13.6K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-34.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.56 F CFA 5,010

$7.84 ₡3,535

9.18%

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

$325 F CFA 189.9K

$490 ₡220.7K

-33.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K F CFA 6.0M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-13.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 F CFA 34.0K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

8.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.29 F CFA 27.1K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-17.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 F CFA 49.1K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

5.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 F CFA 55.6K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

20.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 F CFA 482.2K

$786 ₡354.3K

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 F CFA 255.4K

$780 ₡351.6K

-44.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 F CFA 1.0M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-54.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 F CFA 535.6K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-34.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,961 F CFA 2.9M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-28.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 F CFA 872.9K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

24.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 F CFA 200.9K

$876 ₡395.0K

-60.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

8.62

1.51%

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

Last update for Dakar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dakar

$436 30.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 78.7% $343

Groceries & Markets

Dakar

$294 20.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 18.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dakar

$258 18.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 30.2% $78

Eating Out

Dakar

$145 10.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 44.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Dakar

$128 9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 5.6% $7.2

Getting Around

Dakar

$92 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.8% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dakar

$62 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $824 in Dakar and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 155% 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: $53.0 in Dakar vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $350 per month, with Dakar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Dakar

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

19:38 7:38 PM

6 h behind Dakar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,396,800 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 = 1.52 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 = 1.52 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

Dakar Nosara 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dakar
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

Dakar vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dakar and Nosara differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,429 vs $1,837 including rent). Dakar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 155% 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: $824 in Dakar versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,429 per month in Dakar versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dakar runs roughly 8% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,429 in Dakar versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dakar but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Dakar 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, Dakar 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 Dakar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.