Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilifi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilifi: $647 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kilifi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$647

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Kilifi vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Kilifi $647
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,054 per month in Kilifi vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Kilifi $1,054
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,461 per month in Kilifi vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Kilifi $1,461
Nosara $3,712

Kilifi is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kilifi sits 52% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 KES 247

$12.22 ₡5,509

-84.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 KES 6,543

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-16.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.24 KES 291

$7.54 ₡3,399

-70.29%

Cappuccino

$1.89 KES 246

$4.31 ₡1,941

-56.15%

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

$0.80 KES 104

$1.72 ₡773

-53.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$1.35 ₡608

-45.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 KES 205

$3.24 ₡1,459

-51.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 KES 135

$1.57 ₡707

-33.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 KES 115

$3.17 ₡1,429

-72.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KES 258

$2.42 ₡1,091

-17.77%

Eggs

$1.98 KES 257

$3.57 ₡1,609

-44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 KES 991

$13.66 ₡6,156

-44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 KES 304

$2.32 ₡1,044

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 KES 87.6

$1.61 ₡728

-57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 KES 225

$4.74 ₡2,138

-63.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 KES 58.1

$1.66 ₡747

-72.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 KES 98.3

$3.72 ₡1,679

-79.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 KES 95.3

$3.57 ₡1,611

-79.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 KES 31.22

$2.55 ₡1,149

-90.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 KES 1,618

$20.01 ₡9,020

-37.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 KES 222

$2.79 ₡1,256

-38.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.19 ₡537

-32.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.29 KES 3,540

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-62.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 KES 171

$1.57 ₡708

-15.92%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$15.59 KES 2,022

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-83.32%

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

$10.34 KES 1,341

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-70.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.07 KES 3,251

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-51.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.64 KES 3,584

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-61.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 KES 989

$7.84 ₡3,535

-2.68%

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

$164 KES 21.3K

$490 ₡220.7K

-66.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,927 KES 639.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-58.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.82 KES 1,273

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-81.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.62 KES 1,118

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-84.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.27 KES 1,981

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-80.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$17.15 KES 2,225

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-78.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 KES 41.7K

$786 ₡354.3K

-59.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 KES 39.4K

$780 ₡351.6K

-61.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 KES 35.2K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-92.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 KES 71.7K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-60.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$228 KES 29.6K

$876 ₡395.0K

-73.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-7.19%

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

Last update for Kilifi: 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

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$780 43%

Groceries & Markets

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Eating Out

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Kilifi

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $322 in Kilifi 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 284% 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 $50.0 in Kilifi versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $123 vs $350 – making Kilifi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kilifi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

03:38 3:38 AM

9 h behind Kilifi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,899

4,912

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kilifi Nosara 13,960 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilifi
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

Kilifi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Kilifi, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 184% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $971 per month in Kilifi 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 Kilifi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Kilifi and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 184% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kilifi, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Kilifi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $647 in Kilifi to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kilifi. 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.