Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,192 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,192
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,978 per month in Johannesburg vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,978
Nosara $3,712

Johannesburg is about 23% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Johannesburg and Nosara sit above the global median – Johannesburg by 5%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 198

$12.22 ₡5,509

-2.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 R 731

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-26.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 123

$7.54 ₡3,399

-1.72%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.89

$4.31 ₡1,941

-42.69%

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

$1.17 R 19.46

$1.72 ₡773

-31.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.49

$1.35 ₡608

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.50

$3.24 ₡1,459

-30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 46.10

$4.48 ₡2,018

-37.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.23

$1.57 ₡707

-14.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 R 20.51

$3.17 ₡1,429

-60.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.49

$2.42 ₡1,091

-26.45%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.82

$3.57 ₡1,609

-26.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 140

$7.43 ₡3,349

13.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.9

$10.42 ₡4,697

-48.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$13.66 ₡6,156

-38.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.94

$2.32 ₡1,044

-11.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.81

$1.61 ₡728

11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.48

$4.74 ₡2,138

-61.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.64

$1.66 ₡747

22.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.38

$3.72 ₡1,679

-54.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.31

$3.57 ₡1,611

-48.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 R 23.46

$1.10 ₡497

28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.94

$2.55 ₡1,149

-48.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.1

$4.95 ₡2,232

-31.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R 99.3

$20.01 ₡9,020

-70.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.46

$2.79 ₡1,256

-34.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.49

$3.53 ₡1,589

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 R 34.02

$1.19 ₡537

72.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 R 1,485

$72.1 ₡32.5K

24.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.65

$2.24 ₡1,011

-63.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.49

$1.55 ₡701

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 243

$8.86 ₡3,993

65.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.57 ₡708

-4.46%

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

$36.0K R 597.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.28%

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

$32.7K R 542.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-5.54%

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

$227 R 3,770

$93.5 ₡42.1K

143.26%

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

$37.98 R 630

$35.11 ₡15.8K

8.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.49 R 605

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-29.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 R 611

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-48.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 R 288

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-50.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 R 130

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$238 R 3,951

$490 ₡220.7K

-51.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R 92.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-53.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 R 972

$53.5 ₡24.1K

9.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 R 772

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-16.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,805

$79.3 ₡35.7K

37.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,747

$78.9 ₡35.6K

33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 R 8,220

$786 ₡354.3K

-36.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,995

$780 ₡351.6K

-45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R 16.2K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-74.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 R 14.8K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-36.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$964 R 16.0K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-86.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-36.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 R 29.1K

$876 ₡395.0K

100.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

8.62

26.57%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$422 29.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 84.9% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$302 21.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 40.3% $122

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$216 15.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 62.1% $134

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 21.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 16.2% $23

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$53 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 65.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $496 in Johannesburg 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 100% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $44.00 in Johannesburg versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $350 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

23:52 11:52 PM

8 h behind Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

4,912

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg Nosara 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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

Johannesburg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 31% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,109 per month in Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg, 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 $44.00 in Johannesburg 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 $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 31%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,406, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,406 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Johannesburg. 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.