Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Elmina $668
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Nosara $3,818

Elmina is about 64% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Elmina sits 51% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 90.8

$12.35 ₡5,547

-36.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 590

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-16.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$7.52 ₡3,377

36.44%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.7

$4.41 ₡1,981

1.13%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.80

$1.74 ₡781

-12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.11

$1.31 ₡588

-66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 20.98

$3.28 ₡1,473

-44.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.12

$4.47 ₡2,007

-51.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.57

$1.56 ₡702

135.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.32

$3.02 ₡1,357

-44.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.54

$2.51 ₡1,127

21.91%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.13

$3.57 ₡1,605

-24.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$7.43 ₡3,338

61.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.1

$10.52 ₡4,724

-32.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$13.97 ₡6,274

-31.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.82

$2.35 ₡1,054

53.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.28

$1.61 ₡721

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.53

$4.80 ₡2,155

-63.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.34

$1.61 ₡725

121.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.21

$3.80 ₡1,706

-29.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.74

$3.69 ₡1,659

-28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.32

$1.13 ₡507

-36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.01

$2.66 ₡1,193

-77.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.12

$5.18 ₡2,324

-51.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 81.9

$19.88 ₡8,929

-64.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.07

$2.90 ₡1,302

-58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.07

$3.63 ₡1,628

-35.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.24

$2.14 ₡959

-18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.61

$1.57 ₡704

-19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 49.87

$8.52 ₡3,828

-49.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.54

$1.52 ₡683

-11.84%

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

$7,913 GHS 91.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-63.38%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-72.01%

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

$73.7 GHS 855

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-23.46%

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

$19.07 GHS 221

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-46.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 490

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-21.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$7.89 ₡3,544

60.46%

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

$470 GHS 5,450

$494 ₡221.9K

-4.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

57.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 164

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-73.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-66.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 426

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-52.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 603

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-34.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

8.62

210.32%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.5% $76

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 26% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 37.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 120% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 245% $62

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 984% $79

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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 $51.0 in Elmina versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $352 – making Elmina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

6 h behind Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

4,912

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elmina Nosara 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 175%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $2,758 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 $51.0 in Elmina and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. 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.