Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Portal and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Portal: $388 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Fort Portal
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Fort Portal Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fort Portal

🇺🇬 Uganda

$388

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $388 per month in Fort Portal vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Portal $388
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $611 per month in Fort Portal vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Portal $611
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $835 per month in Fort Portal vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Portal $835
Nosara $3,818

Fort Portal is about 79% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fort Portal sits 71% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.53 UGX 10.4K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-79.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.99 UGX 102.8K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 UGX 31.1K

$7.52 ₡3,373

0.53%

Cappuccino

$2.49 UGX 10.3K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.54%

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

$0.36 UGX 1,475

$1.74 ₡780

-79.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 UGX 1,066

$1.31 ₡587

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 UGX 5,169

$3.28 ₡1,471

-61.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 UGX 7,530

$4.47 ₡2,004

-59.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.29 UGX 1,184

$1.56 ₡701

-81.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 UGX 3,207

$3.02 ₡1,355

-74.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 UGX 4,202

$2.51 ₡1,125

-59.36%

Eggs

$1.27 UGX 5,231

$3.57 ₡1,603

-64.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 UGX 18.0K

$7.43 ₡3,333

-40.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.67 UGX 19.2K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-55.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.30 UGX 13.6K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-76.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 UGX 8,509

$2.35 ₡1,052

-11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 UGX 2,954

$1.61 ₡720

-55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,270

$4.80 ₡2,152

-73.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 UGX 4,880

$1.61 ₡724

-26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 UGX 4,970

$3.80 ₡1,703

-68.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 UGX 2,472

$3.69 ₡1,657

-83.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 UGX 3,041

$1.13 ₡507

-34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 UGX 2,107

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 UGX 10.3K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-51.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 UGX 19.9K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-75.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 UGX 2,939

$2.90 ₡1,300

-75.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 UGX 4,173

$3.63 ₡1,626

-72.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 UGX 2,158

$2.14 ₡958

-75.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 UGX 1,227

$1.57 ₡703

-80.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 UGX 12.6K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-64.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 UGX 5,103

$1.52 ₡682

-18.42%

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

$7,493 UGX 30.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-65.32%

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

$7,377 UGX 30.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-78.63%

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

$71.3 UGX 293.1K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-25.99%

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

$11.70 UGX 48.1K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.97 UGX 143.8K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-34.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 UGX 30.6K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-5.70%

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

$254 UGX 1.0M

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,385 UGX 34.5M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.26 UGX 58.7K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-73.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.82 UGX 52.8K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-76.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.90 UGX 135.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-57.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.59 UGX 183.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-43.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

8.62

140.72%

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

Last update for Fort Portal: 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

Fort Portal

$121 31.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 191% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Portal

$118 30.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 57.5% $68

Eating Out

Fort Portal

$85 22%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 148% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Portal

$47 12.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 155% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Portal

$15 * 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 487% $72

Getting Around

Fort Portal

$2 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4212% $85

Accommodation & Living

Fort Portal

- * 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 $25.00 in Fort Portal versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $121 vs $352 – making Fort Portal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Fort Portal

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

19:09 7:09 PM

9 h behind Fort Portal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,275

4,912

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Portal Nosara 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Portal
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

Fort Portal vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 373% more than Fort Portal, 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 $583 per month in Fort Portal 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 $25.00 in Fort Portal 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 191% 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 Fort Portal, where all-in costs run around $388, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Fort Portal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fort Portal costs $388 versus $1,839 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 Fort Portal. 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.