Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freetown and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Freetown and in Nosara: $1,818 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
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Freetown Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,818 per month in Freetown vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Freetown $1,818
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,527 per month in Freetown vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Freetown $1,527
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,235 per month in Freetown vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Freetown $1,235
Nosara $3,712

Freetown is about 1% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Freetown and Nosara sit above the global median – Freetown by 36%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-83.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-33.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

$7.54 ₡3,399

46.15%

Cappuccino

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

$4.31 ₡1,941

-34.57%

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

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

$1.72 ₡773

9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

$1.35 ₡608

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

$3.24 ₡1,459

-29.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

$4.48 ₡2,018

-22.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

$1.57 ₡707

58.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

$3.17 ₡1,429

-79.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

$2.42 ₡1,091

-45.04%

Eggs

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

$3.57 ₡1,609

-49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

$7.43 ₡3,349

-5.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-2.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-60.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

$2.32 ₡1,044

203.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

$1.61 ₡728

83.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

$4.74 ₡2,138

-85.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

$1.66 ₡747

195.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

$3.72 ₡1,679

-44.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

$3.57 ₡1,611

-53.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

$2.55 ₡1,149

-54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

$4.95 ₡2,232

-38.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

$20.01 ₡9,020

-60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

$2.79 ₡1,256

-42.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

$3.53 ₡1,589

-45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

$1.19 ₡537

-62.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

$2.24 ₡1,011

-76.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

$1.55 ₡701

-68.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

$1.57 ₡708

-14.65%

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

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-44.56%

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

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-27.79%

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

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-36.96%

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

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-71.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

$51.5 ₡23.2K

5.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-81.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-75.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 SLL 21.0M

$786 ₡354.3K

16.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

$780 ₡351.6K

60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-8.81%

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)

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

$876 ₡395.0K

53.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Freetown: 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

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 37.8% $473

Groceries & Markets

Freetown

$263 * 14.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 33.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freetown

$123 6.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 46.1% $57

Eating Out

Freetown

$113 6.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 85.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Freetown

$36 * 2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 237% $85

Getting Around

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1725% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Freetown

- * 0%

Nosara

$87 4.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $919 in Freetown versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 54% higher in Freetown, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Freetown versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $350 – making Freetown the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇱 Freetown

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

6 h behind Freetown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

951,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.9 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SLL – Sierra Leonean Leone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean Leone (Le)

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,848 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,626 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.9 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 SLL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Freetown Nosara 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Freetown
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

Freetown vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,818 in Freetown, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,728 per month in Freetown and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Freetown, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Freetown and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,818 in Freetown and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Freetown, where all-in costs run around $1,818, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Freetown it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,818 in Freetown to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Freetown. 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.