Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $674 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
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Kampala Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$674

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $674 in Kampala versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Kampala $674
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,045 in Kampala versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Kampala $1,045
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,417 in Kampala versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Kampala $1,417
Nosara $3,712

Living in Kampala costs roughly 63% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kampala is 50% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 UGX 10.3K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-79.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.10 UGX 101.5K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-58.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 UGX 29.9K

$7.54 ₡3,399

-1.86%

Cappuccino

$2.57 UGX 10.4K

$4.31 ₡1,941

-40.37%

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

$0.38 UGX 1,543

$1.72 ₡773

-77.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 UGX 1,044

$1.35 ₡608

-80.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 UGX 4,910

$3.24 ₡1,459

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 UGX 7,748

$4.48 ₡2,018

-57.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 UGX 3,069

$1.57 ₡707

-51.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 UGX 3,832

$3.17 ₡1,429

-70.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 UGX 5,360

$2.42 ₡1,091

-45.04%

Eggs

$1.64 UGX 6,631

$3.57 ₡1,609

-54.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.37 UGX 17.7K

$7.43 ₡3,349

-41.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 UGX 18.6K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-55.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.87 UGX 19.7K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-64.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 UGX 8,869

$2.32 ₡1,044

-5.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,033

$1.61 ₡728

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 UGX 5,253

$4.74 ₡2,138

-72.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 4,928

$1.66 ₡747

-26.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 UGX 4,912

$3.72 ₡1,679

-67.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,061

$3.57 ₡1,611

-64.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 UGX 3,168

$1.10 ₡497

-29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 UGX 2,020

$2.55 ₡1,149

-80.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 UGX 10.2K

$4.95 ₡2,232

-49.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

$20.01 ₡9,020

-62.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 UGX 4,458

$2.79 ₡1,256

-60.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UGX 7,880

$3.53 ₡1,589

-44.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 UGX 2,913

$1.19 ₡537

-39.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.82 UGX 173.2K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-40.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 UGX 2,072

$2.24 ₡1,011

-77.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UGX 1,297

$1.55 ₡701

-79.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 UGX 12.9K

$8.86 ₡3,993

-64.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 UGX 5,866

$1.57 ₡708

-7.64%

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

$7,493 UGX 30.3M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-65.64%

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

$7,453 UGX 30.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-78.48%

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

$70.9 UGX 287.0K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-24.09%

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

$11.85 UGX 47.9K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-66.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.59 UGX 144.0K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-30.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 UGX 230.2K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-20.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.97 UGX 24.1K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-83.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

$7.84 ₡3,535

-3.83%

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

$254 UGX 1.0M

$490 ₡220.7K

-48.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,231 UGX 33.3M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-30.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.16 UGX 57.3K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-73.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.02 UGX 52.7K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-76.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.01 UGX 129.5K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-59.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.76 UGX 177.0K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-44.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 UGX 2.0M

$786 ₡354.3K

-37.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 UGX 695.0K

$780 ₡351.6K

-77.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 UGX 4.2M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-72.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 UGX 1.2M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-78.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 UGX 4.9M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-82.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 UGX 4.0M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-18.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 UGX 712.8K

$876 ₡395.0K

-79.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

8.62

140.72%

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

Last update for Kampala: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$172 24.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 354% $608

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$149 21.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 134% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$118 17.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 52.1% $62

Eating Out

Kampala

$86 12.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 144% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$72 10.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21% $15

Getting Around

Kampala

$48 6.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 81.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$46 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 160% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Kampala and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 397% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Kampala vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $149 vs $350 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

20:25 8:25 PM

9 h behind Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,045 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,537 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.2 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 UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kampala Nosara 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampala
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

Kampala vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 173% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 397% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $495 in Kampala versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 134% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Kampala versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kampala 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, Kampala 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 Kampala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.