Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kourou and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kourou: $177 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kourou

🇬🇫 French Guiana

$177

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $177 in Kourou versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Kourou $177
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $304 in Kourou versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Kourou $304
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $432 in Kourou versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Kourou $432
Nosara $3,712

Living in Kourou costs roughly 90% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kourou is 87% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

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

$1.72 ₡773

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.17 ₡1,429

-37.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

Eggs

$6.74 €6.01

$3.57 ₡1,609

88.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 €3.87

$2.32 ₡1,044

86.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.61 ₡728

44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$7.83 €6.99

$1.66 ₡747

371.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$3.72 ₡1,679

-34.14%

Onion (1kg)

$7.00 €6.24

$3.57 ₡1,611

96.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.10 ₡497

103.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.55 ₡1,149

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

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)

$1.57 ₡708

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)

$93.5 ₡42.1K

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 €1,330

$786 ₡354.3K

89.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

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)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Kourou: 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

Kourou

–

Nosara

$780 43%

Groceries & Markets

Kourou

–

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Eating Out

Kourou

–

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kourou

–

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Kourou

–

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Kourou

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Kourou

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,491 in Kourou and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Good to know

🇬🇫 Kourou

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

22:02 10:02 PM

3 h behind Kourou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,903

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kourou Nosara 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kourou
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

Kourou vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kourou and Nosara differ by about 938% in total monthly costs ($177 vs $1,837 including rent). Kourou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $265 in Kourou and $2,756 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,491 in Kourou versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $177 per month in Kourou versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 938% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $177 in Kourou versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kourou but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kourou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kourou 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 Kourou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 938% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.