Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Bay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bay: $1,176 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bay
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Grand Bay Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Grand Bay

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,176

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Grand Bay versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Grand Bay $1,176
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,240 in Grand Bay versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Grand Bay $2,240
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,304 in Grand Bay versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Grand Bay $3,304
Nosara $3,818

Living in Grand Bay costs roughly 36% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grand Bay is 13% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 MUR 267

$12.35 ₡5,539

-54.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 MUR 2,951

$61.2 ₡27.4K

2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 MUR 330

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.91%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MUR 122

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.04%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.7

$1.74 ₡780

-32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.89

$1.31 ₡587

-51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MUR 126

$3.28 ₡1,471

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 MUR 223

$4.47 ₡2,004

6.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MUR 65.7

$1.56 ₡701

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MUR 33.65

$3.02 ₡1,355

-76.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.6

$2.51 ₡1,125

-56.18%

Eggs

$2.42 MUR 114

$3.57 ₡1,603

-32.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 MUR 959

$7.43 ₡3,333

174.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 MUR 295

$10.52 ₡4,717

-40.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 MUR 1,005

$13.97 ₡6,265

52.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 MUR 88.3

$2.35 ₡1,052

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 MUR 95.7

$1.61 ₡720

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.7

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 MUR 137

$1.61 ₡724

81.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MUR 44.73

$3.80 ₡1,703

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.62

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MUR 32.89

$1.13 ₡507

-38.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MUR 26.59

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 MUR 310

$5.18 ₡2,321

27.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 MUR 390

$19.88 ₡8,916

-58.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MUR 79.4

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 MUR 95.8

$3.63 ₡1,626

-43.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 MUR 48.61

$1.12 ₡504

-8.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 MUR 203

$2.14 ₡958

101.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MUR 115

$1.57 ₡703

55.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.86 MUR 982

$8.52 ₡3,823

144.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MUR 66.3

$1.52 ₡682

-7.24%

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

$34.4K MUR 1.6M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

59.09%

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

$36.3K MUR 1.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.07%

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

$45.51 MUR 2,143

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-52.74%

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

$15.73 MUR 741

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-56.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.36 MUR 1,383

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 MUR 2,713

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-19.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MUR 305

$7.89 ₡3,539

-18.00%

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

$125 MUR 5,881

$494 ₡221.6K

-74.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,478 MUR 352.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-36.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MUR 2,857

$53.9 ₡24.2K

12.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 MUR 2,954

$55.4 ₡24.8K

13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MUR 5,038

$77.9 ₡34.9K

37.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 MUR 4,084

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MUR 28.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 MUR 21.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-43.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 MUR 97.3K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-47.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 MUR 69.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

3.99%

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)

$1,289 MUR 60.7K

$864 ₡387.3K

49.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-30.39%

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

Last update for Grand Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Bay

$447 38%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 77.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Grand Bay

$277 23.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 27.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Bay

$143 12.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.9% $23

Eating Out

Grand Bay

$128 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 65.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Bay

$91 7.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 105% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Bay

$71 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Grand Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 323% $66

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 $595 in Grand Bay and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Bay pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Grand Bay vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $352, with Grand Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Grand Bay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

10 h behind Grand Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,900

4,912

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 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 MUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Grand Bay Nosara 15,920 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Bay
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

Grand Bay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grand Bay is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Grand Bay, 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: $595 in Grand Bay versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $125 in Grand Bay versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Grand Bay – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,176 in Grand Bay versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Grand Bay but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Grand Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Grand Bay 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, Grand Bay 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 Grand Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.