Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempton Park and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempton Park: $1,209 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,209 in Kempton Park versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Kempton Park $1,209
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,854 in Kempton Park versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Kempton Park $1,854
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,498 in Kempton Park versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Kempton Park $2,498
Nosara $3,818

Living in Kempton Park costs roughly 34% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kempton Park is 10% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.85 R 146

$12.35 ₡5,539

-28.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.72 R 605

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-39.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 R 96.1

$7.52 ₡3,373

-22.34%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.33

$4.41 ₡1,978

-45.80%

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

$1.08 R 17.80

$1.74 ₡780

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.70

$1.31 ₡587

-36.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 R 39.19

$3.28 ₡1,471

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.08

$4.47 ₡2,004

-38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.17

$1.56 ₡701

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.78

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.09

$2.51 ₡1,125

-29.48%

Eggs

$2.49 R 41.09

$3.57 ₡1,603

-30.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 R 142

$7.43 ₡3,333

15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 85.8

$10.52 ₡4,717

-50.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.76 R 144

$13.97 ₡6,265

-37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.44

$2.35 ₡1,052

-21.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.06

$1.61 ₡720

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.39

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.58

$1.61 ₡724

26.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.01

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.21

$3.69 ₡1,657

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.07

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.80

$2.66 ₡1,191

-52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 53.1

$5.18 ₡2,321

-37.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.32 R 87.7

$19.88 ₡8,916

-73.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 R 26.68

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R 39.24

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.21

$1.12 ₡504

36.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 R 997

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-16.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.76

$2.14 ₡958

-86.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.43

$1.57 ₡703

-47.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$8.52 ₡3,823

72.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.41

$1.52 ₡682

-2.63%

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

$34.7K R 571.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

60.57%

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

$31.6K R 521.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.37%

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

$180 R 2,959

$96.3 ₡43.2K

86.52%

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

$38.44 R 633

$35.89 ₡16.1K

7.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.30 R 598

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-32.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.47 R 617

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-47.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.58 R 174

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-69.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 R 132

$7.89 ₡3,539

1.65%

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

$256 R 4,218

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,474 R 90.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-53.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R 870

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.58 R 520

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 R 1,502

$77.9 ₡34.9K

17.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 R 1,388

$79.6 ₡35.7K

5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 R 4,960

$788 ₡353.4K

-61.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 R 14.2K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-87.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$666 R 11.0K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-45.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$625 R 10.3K

$864 ₡387.3K

-27.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

8.62

30.51%

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

Last update for Kempton Park: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kempton Park

$365 30.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 118% $429

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kempton Park

$254 21%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 27% $69

Groceries & Markets

Kempton Park

$207 17.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 70.2% $145

Eating Out

Kempton Park

$142 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 49.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Kempton Park

$117 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.7% $3.2

Getting Around

Kempton Park

$71 5.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 22.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kempton Park

$54 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 63.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $301 in Kempton Park and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 38% 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: $37.00 in Kempton Park vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $352 per month, with Kempton Park cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

8 h behind Kempton Park

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kempton Park Nosara 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kempton Park
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

Kempton Park vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kempton Park wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kempton Park the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 38% 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: $301 in Kempton Park versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kempton Park – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,209 in Kempton Park versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kempton Park but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kempton Park the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kempton Park delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,209 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kempton Park hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.