Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,037 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ipswich outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,037

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,037 per month in Ipswich vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ipswich $2,037
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Ipswich vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ipswich $2,901
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,766 per month in Ipswich vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ipswich $3,766
Nosara $3,818

Ipswich costs about 11% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ipswich and Nosara sit above the global median – Ipswich by 51%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.50 A$45.33

$12.35 ₡5,539

155.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 A$107

$61.2 ₡27.4K

21.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 A$14.36

$7.52 ₡3,373

32.71%

Cappuccino

$4.54 A$6.53

$4.41 ₡1,978

2.95%

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

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.74 ₡780

125.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.60

$1.31 ₡587

90.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 A$13.01

$3.28 ₡1,471

175.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 A$10.94

$4.47 ₡2,004

70.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.56 ₡701

55.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 A$3.41

$3.02 ₡1,355

-21.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$2.51 ₡1,125

-11.55%

Eggs

$7.14 A$10.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 A$10.53

$7.43 ₡3,333

-1.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 A$11.86

$10.52 ₡4,717

-21.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 A$20.22

$13.97 ₡6,265

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.86

$2.35 ₡1,052

43.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.61 ₡720

59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.10

$4.80 ₡2,152

-40.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.41

$1.61 ₡724

133.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 A$2.87

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.95

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.13 ₡507

117.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 A$2.56

$2.66 ₡1,191

-33.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.60 A$64.2

$5.18 ₡2,321

761.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.31 A$32.11

$19.88 ₡8,916

12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.21 A$8.93

$2.90 ₡1,300

114.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 A$10.28

$3.63 ₡1,626

96.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$1.12 ₡504

-67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.14 ₡958

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.57 ₡703

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.12 A$52.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

323.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$90.9 A$131

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-5.64%

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

$30.70 A$44.18

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-14.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 A$90.9

$53.6 ₡24.0K

17.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.21 A$24.76

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-75.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 A$1,476

$788 ₡353.4K

30.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 A$1,463

$794 ₡356.2K

27.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 A$2,038

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,018

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-1.20%

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)

$4,146 A$5,966

$864 ₡387.3K

380.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

8.62

-30.63%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$1K 49.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 21.8% $222

Eating Out

Ipswich

$423 20.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 49.9% $211

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$384 18.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$185 9.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$17 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 408% $70

Getting Around

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 662% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

- * 0%

Nosara

$120 6.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Ipswich 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 380% higher in Ipswich, 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 $74.0 in Ipswich versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

16 h behind Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ipswich Nosara 13,620 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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

Ipswich vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ipswich is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,055 per month in Ipswich and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 9% more in Ipswich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ipswich and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Ipswich at $2,037. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ipswich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.