Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gweru and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gweru: $604 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gweru
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$604
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $604 per month in Gweru vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Gweru $604
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,084 per month in Gweru vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Gweru $1,084
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,565 per month in Gweru vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Gweru $1,565
  • Nosara $3,818

Gweru is about 67% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gweru sits 55% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.85 ZWL 102
$12.35 ₡5,539
-68.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.59 ZWL 1,213
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-25.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 ZWL 155
$7.52 ₡3,373
-22.47%
Cappuccino
$2.98 ZWL 79.3
$4.41 ₡1,978
-32.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ZWL 12.92
$1.74 ₡780
-71.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ZWL 11.04
$1.31 ₡587
-68.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.28 ZWL 34.10
$3.28 ₡1,471
-60.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ZWL 45.75
$4.47 ₡2,004
-61.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 ZWL 39.00
$1.56 ₡701
-5.77%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 ZWL 26.30
$3.02 ₡1,355
-67.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 ZWL 43.64
$2.51 ₡1,125
-34.66%
Eggs
$1.89 ZWL 50.2
$3.57 ₡1,603
-47.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.57 ZWL 308
$7.43 ₡3,333
55.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 ZWL 103
$10.52 ₡4,717
-63.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.57 ZWL 148
$13.97 ₡6,265
-60.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 ZWL 54.6
$2.35 ₡1,052
-12.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 ZWL 45.72
$1.61 ₡720
6.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 ZWL 51.7
$4.80 ₡2,152
-59.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 ZWL 26.95
$1.61 ₡724
-37.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 ZWL 45.05
$3.80 ₡1,703
-55.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.02 ZWL 27.02
$3.69 ₡1,657
-72.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ZWL 34.18
$1.13 ₡507
13.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ZWL 25.23
$2.66 ₡1,191
-64.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.05 ZWL 54.5
$5.18 ₡2,321
-60.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.90 ZWL 210
$19.88 ₡8,916
-60.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 ZWL 37.26
$2.90 ₡1,300
-51.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 ZWL 52.2
$3.63 ₡1,626
-46.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.48 ZWL 12.79
$1.12 ₡504
-57.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 ZWL 106
$2.14 ₡958
85.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 ZWL 25.08
$1.57 ₡703
-40.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 ZWL 133
$8.52 ₡3,823
-41.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 ZWL 42.63
$1.52 ₡682
5.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K ZWL 586.2K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
1.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K ZWL 728.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-20.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$30.17 ZWL 803
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-68.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.91 ZWL 450
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-52.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.5 ZWL 1,823
$53.6 ₡24.0K
27.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.28 ZWL 1,072
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-43.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.03 ZWL 54.0
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-94.19%
Cinema Ticket
$9.90 ZWL 263
$7.89 ₡3,539
25.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$253 ZWL 6,745
$494 ₡221.6K
-48.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,703 ZWL 151.8K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-51.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.35 ZWL 621
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-56.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.21 ZWL 538
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-63.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$39.04 ZWL 1,039
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-49.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.02 ZWL 1,065
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-49.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$150 ZWL 3,995
$788 ₡353.4K
-80.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$71.4 ZWL 1,899
$794 ₡356.2K
-91.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$557 ZWL 14.8K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-85.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$306 ZWL 8,142
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-78.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gweru
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$251 ZWL 6,670
$864 ₡387.3K
-70.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
8.62
-18.79%

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

Last update for Gweru: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Gweru
$193
Nosara
$352 82.3% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gweru
$116
Nosara
$186 60.7% $70
Eating Out
Gweru
$97
Nosara
$212 117% $114
Accommodation & Living
Gweru
$71
Nosara
$794 1013% $723
Sport & Entertainment
Gweru
$60
Nosara
$87 45.4% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Gweru
$55
Nosara
$120 118% $65
Getting Around
Gweru
$11 *
Nosara
$87 721% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $150 in Gweru versus $788 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 245% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Gweru versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $352 – making Gweru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇼 Gweru
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
06:09 6:09 AM
22:09 10:09 PM
8 h behind Gweru
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
141,260
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gweru Nosara 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gweru
  • 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
Gweru vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Gweru and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $604 in Gweru, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 205% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Gweru compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $905 per month in Gweru and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Gweru and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gweru, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Gweru or Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $604 in Gweru and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 205%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Gweru and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $253 per month in Gweru and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gweru, where all-in costs run around $604, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Gweru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Gweru and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $604 in Gweru to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Gweru or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Gweru and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Gweru. 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.

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