Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,070 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
Learn more

Darwin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,070

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,070 in Darwin versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Darwin $3,070
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,116 in Darwin versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Darwin $4,116
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Darwin $5,163
Nosara $3,712

Living in Darwin is roughly 67% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 129% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 A$32.37

$12.22 ₡5,509

84.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 A$129

$60.2 ₡27.1K

49.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 A$15.75

$7.54 ₡3,399

45.36%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.84

$4.31 ₡1,941

-5.57%

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

$3.31 A$4.76

$1.72 ₡773

92.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.44

$1.35 ₡608

128.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.83

$3.24 ₡1,459

132.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.65

$4.48 ₡2,018

65.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.57 ₡707

-5.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.26

$3.17 ₡1,429

-6.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.13

$2.42 ₡1,091

-9.92%

Eggs

$4.35 A$6.25

$3.57 ₡1,609

21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 A$12.79

$7.43 ₡3,349

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.19

$10.42 ₡4,697

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.32

$13.66 ₡6,156

-32.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 A$5.61

$2.32 ₡1,044

68.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.11

$1.61 ₡728

77.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.03

$4.74 ₡2,138

-40.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 A$7.40

$1.66 ₡747

210.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.63

$3.72 ₡1,679

-31.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$3.57 ₡1,611

-32.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.97

$1.10 ₡497

88.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.04

$2.55 ₡1,149

-16.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.93 A$63.1

$4.95 ₡2,232

787.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 A$16.97

$20.01 ₡9,020

-40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.12 A$14.53

$2.79 ₡1,256

262.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 A$11.24

$3.53 ₡1,589

121.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.01 A$69.0

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-33.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.34

$2.24 ₡1,011

66.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 A$1.89

$1.55 ₡701

-14.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.60 A$71.3

$8.86 ₡3,993

459.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.85

$1.57 ₡708

-17.83%

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

$31.4K A$45.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

44.00%

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

$41.5K A$59.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

19.85%

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

$216 A$310

$93.5 ₡42.1K

130.85%

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

$33.26 A$47.77

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-5.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$88.0

$51.5 ₡23.2K

18.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.7 A$115

$71.4 ₡32.2K

11.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 A$40.37

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-20.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 A$24.51

$7.84 ₡3,535

117.73%

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

$1,924 A$2,763

$490 ₡220.7K

292.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 A$11.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-30.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 A$119

$53.5 ₡24.1K

55.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 A$66.2

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$79.3 ₡35.7K

31.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$199

$78.9 ₡35.6K

75.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 A$2,465

$786 ₡354.3K

118.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 A$2,399

$780 ₡351.6K

114.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 A$3,895

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-29.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,097

$1,407 ₡634.4K

53.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 A$5,449

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-45.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,538 A$5,081

$1,201 ₡541.3K

194.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,166 A$5,984

$876 ₡395.0K

375.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

8.62

-28.77%

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

Last update for Darwin: 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

Darwin

$1.7K 55%

Nosara

$780 43% 53.3% $890

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 7.4% $28

Eating Out

Darwin

$340 11.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 38.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$310 10.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 42% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$168 5.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 28.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$114 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.5% $27

Getting Around

Darwin

$58 * 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 48.9% $29

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 $1,716 in Darwin and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays 375% 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: $90.0 in Darwin vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

19:03 7:03 PM

15 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Darwin Nosara 16,030 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 375% higher in Darwin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,716 in Darwin versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Darwin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $90.0 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $3,070 in Darwin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Darwin. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Darwin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Darwin 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.