Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuruman and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuruman: $1,125 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kuruman
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Kuruman Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kuruman

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,125

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Kuruman versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Kuruman $1,125
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,692 in Kuruman versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Kuruman $1,692
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,259 in Kuruman versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Kuruman $2,259
Nosara $3,818

Living in Kuruman costs roughly 39% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuruman is 17% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.59 R 158

$12.35 ₡5,539

-22.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.39 R 665

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 R 91.5

$7.52 ₡3,373

-26.20%

Cappuccino

$1.79 R 29.41

$4.41 ₡1,978

-59.41%

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

$1.20 R 19.75

$1.74 ₡780

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R 10.25

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 R 38.13

$3.28 ₡1,471

-29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R 43.51

$4.47 ₡2,004

-40.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 18.98

$1.56 ₡701

-26.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 R 22.03

$3.02 ₡1,355

-55.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.26

$2.51 ₡1,125

-31.47%

Eggs

$4.20 R 69.2

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 R 137

$7.43 ₡3,333

12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.6

$10.52 ₡4,717

-51.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.28

$2.35 ₡1,052

-24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.67

$1.61 ₡720

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.04

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.54

$1.61 ₡724

3.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.03

$3.80 ₡1,703

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 R 23.18

$3.69 ₡1,657

-61.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.24

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.92

$2.66 ₡1,191

-56.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$5.18 ₡2,321

-31.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.0

$19.88 ₡8,916

-75.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.56

$3.63 ₡1,626

-49.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 R 22.39

$1.12 ₡504

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.26

$2.14 ₡958

-71.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 R 15.96

$1.57 ₡703

-38.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.36 R 220

$8.52 ₡3,823

56.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.15

$1.52 ₡682

0.66%

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

$37.7K R 621.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.52%

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

$35.3K R 581.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.19%

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

$157 R 2,586

$96.3 ₡43.2K

63.01%

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

$34.82 R 574

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-2.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.83 R 607

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-31.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.37 R 517

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 R 202

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-64.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 R 135

$7.89 ₡3,539

3.93%

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

$252 R 4,157

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 R 84.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-57.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R 870

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 R 478

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-47.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,656

$77.9 ₡34.9K

29.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 R 1,444

$79.6 ₡35.7K

10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 R 5,648

$788 ₡353.4K

-56.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 R 6,190

$794 ₡356.2K

-52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 R 13.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-78.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 R 10.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-55.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$782 R 12.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-88.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 10.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-45.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,074 R 17.7K

$864 ₡387.3K

24.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.62

26.91%

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

Last update for Kuruman: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuruman

$376 33.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 111% $419

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuruman

$229 20.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 18.7% $43

Groceries & Markets

Kuruman

$202 18%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 74.4% $150

Eating Out

Kuruman

$139 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 52.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Kuruman

$122 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kuruman

$48 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 82.9% $40

Getting Around

Kuruman

$11 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 699% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Kuruman and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuruman pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Kuruman vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $352 per month, with Kuruman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kuruman

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

8 h behind Kuruman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,093

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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Kuruman Nosara 12,390 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuruman
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

Kuruman vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuruman and Nosara differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,125 vs $1,839 including rent). Kuruman is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Kuruman, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $343 in Kuruman versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $252 in Kuruman versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuruman – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,125 in Kuruman versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuruman but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kuruman 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, Kuruman 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 Kuruman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.