Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in George versus $1,839 in Nosara.

George $1,105
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in George versus $2,828 in Nosara.

George $1,834
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in George versus $3,818 in Nosara.

George $2,563
Nosara $3,818

Living in George costs roughly 40% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: George is 18% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$12.35 ₡5,539

-11.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-32.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$7.52 ₡3,373

-36.04%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$4.41 ₡1,978

-52.38%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$1.74 ₡780

-39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$1.31 ₡587

-41.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$3.28 ₡1,471

-17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$4.47 ₡2,004

-28.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$1.56 ₡701

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$2.51 ₡1,125

-43.03%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$3.57 ₡1,603

-21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$7.43 ₡3,333

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$10.52 ₡4,717

-48.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$13.97 ₡6,265

-52.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$2.35 ₡1,052

-31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$1.61 ₡720

-8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$4.80 ₡2,152

-67.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$1.61 ₡724

7.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$3.69 ₡1,657

-61.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$5.18 ₡2,321

-38.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$19.88 ₡8,916

-76.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$2.90 ₡1,300

-57.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$3.63 ₡1,626

-52.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.12 ₡504

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-61.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$2.14 ₡958

-72.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$1.57 ₡703

-70.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$8.52 ₡3,823

-1.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$1.52 ₡682

-19.74%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.32%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.95%

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

$121 R 1,995

$96.3 ₡43.2K

25.72%

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

$17.44 R 287

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-15.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-69.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$7.89 ₡3,539

-22.94%

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

$137 R 2,263

$494 ₡221.6K

-72.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-56.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$53.9 ₡24.2K

32.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$77.9 ₡34.9K

43.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$79.6 ₡35.7K

7.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$788 ₡353.4K

-46.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-80.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-34.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-87.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-46.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

57.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

8.62

26.68%

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

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George

$365 33%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 118% $430

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 89.4% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.1% $2.1

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 109% $45

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 137% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in George and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in George vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $352 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

8 h behind George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

4,912

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

George Nosara 12,290 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 58% higher in George, 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: $422 in George versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in George versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.