Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumasi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumasi: $488 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kumasi
🇬🇭 Ghana
$488
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kumasi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kumasi $488
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $805 per month in Kumasi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kumasi $805
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,123 per month in Kumasi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kumasi $1,123
  • Nosara $3,818

Kumasi is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kumasi sits 64% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.50 GHS 40.74
$12.35 ₡5,539
-71.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.71 GHS 392
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-44.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.15 GHS 118
$7.52 ₡3,373
34.97%
Cappuccino
$1.08 GHS 12.53
$4.41 ₡1,978
-75.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 GHS 8.22
$1.74 ₡780
-59.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 GHS 3.05
$1.31 ₡587
-80.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.91 GHS 10.53
$3.28 ₡1,471
-72.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 GHS 19.34
$4.47 ₡2,004
-62.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 GHS 20.65
$1.56 ₡701
14.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 GHS 19.09
$3.02 ₡1,355
-45.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 GHS 20.35
$2.51 ₡1,125
-30.28%
Eggs
$2.39 GHS 27.81
$3.57 ₡1,603
-33.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.49 GHS 63.8
$7.43 ₡3,333
-26.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.54 GHS 52.8
$10.52 ₡4,717
-56.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.81 GHS 55.9
$13.97 ₡6,265
-65.57%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 GHS 19.50
$2.35 ₡1,052
-28.51%
Banana (1kg)
$0.83 GHS 9.66
$1.61 ₡720
-48.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.84 GHS 9.73
$4.80 ₡2,152
-82.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 GHS 24.39
$1.61 ₡724
30.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 GHS 19.34
$3.80 ₡1,703
-56.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 GHS 14.89
$3.69 ₡1,657
-65.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 GHS 8.70
$1.13 ₡507
-33.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 GHS 6.59
$2.66 ₡1,191
-78.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$0.87 GHS 10.18
$5.18 ₡2,321
-83.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$1.25 GHS 14.56
$19.88 ₡8,916
-93.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 GHS 14.22
$2.90 ₡1,300
-57.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 GHS 27.88
$3.63 ₡1,626
-33.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 GHS 6.09
$1.12 ₡504
-53.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.34 GHS 237
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-72.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 GHS 9.49
$2.14 ₡958
-61.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 GHS 14.44
$1.57 ₡703
-21.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.72 GHS 20.03
$8.52 ₡3,823
-79.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 GHS 13.18
$1.52 ₡682
-25.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$7,902 GHS 91.9K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-63.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,972 GHS 116.0K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-71.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.97 GHS 488
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-56.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.43 GHS 226
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-45.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.24 GHS 491
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-21.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.23 GHS 352
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-57.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.60 GHS 147
$7.89 ₡3,539
59.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$459 GHS 5,337
$494 ₡221.6K
-7.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,536 GHS 64.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-53.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.50 GHS 169
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-73.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.32 GHS 213
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-66.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$35.88 GHS 417
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-53.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.8 GHS 602
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-34.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$788 ₡353.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$794 ₡356.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kumasi
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$408 GHS 4,750
$864 ₡387.3K
-52.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
26.75
8.62
210.32%

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

Last update for Kumasi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kumasi
$162
Nosara
$352 117% $190
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kumasi
$104
Nosara
$186 79.2% $82
Eating Out
Kumasi
$83
Nosara
$212 155% $129
Sport & Entertainment
Kumasi
$55
Nosara
$87 57.7% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Kumasi
$54
Nosara
$120 122% $66
Getting Around
Kumasi
$29
Nosara
$87 196% $58
Accommodation & Living
Kumasi
- *
Nosara
$794

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 111% 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 $34.00 in Kumasi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $352 – making Kumasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇭 Kumasi
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
19:57 7:57 PM
13:57 1:57 PM
6 h behind Kumasi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,517,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.08 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kumasi Nosara 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kumasi
  • 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
Kumasi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kumasi and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $488 in Kumasi, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 277% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Kumasi compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kumasi and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 117% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Kumasi and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kumasi, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kumasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kumasi and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $488 in Kumasi to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kumasi or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Kumasi and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Kumasi. 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.

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