Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lagos: $941 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$941

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $941 per month in Lagos vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Lagos $941
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,837 per month in Lagos vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Lagos $1,837
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Lagos vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Lagos $2,734
Nosara $3,712

Lagos is about 49% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lagos sits 30% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 ₦5,144

$12.22 ₡5,509

-68.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.34 ₦65.5K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-18.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 ₦9,877

$7.54 ₡3,399

-1.46%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ₦3,713

$4.31 ₡1,941

-35.03%

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

$0.44 ₦583

$1.72 ₡773

-74.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₦290

$1.35 ₡608

-83.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₦1,295

$3.24 ₡1,459

-70.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₦2,621

$4.48 ₡2,018

-56.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.05 ₦4,049

$1.57 ₡707

94.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ₦1,931

$3.17 ₡1,429

-54.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 ₦1,672

$2.42 ₡1,091

-47.93%

Eggs

$2.27 ₦3,016

$3.57 ₡1,609

-36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.57 ₦4,739

$7.43 ₡3,349

-51.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 ₦5,077

$10.42 ₡4,697

-63.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.37 ₦5,805

$13.66 ₡6,156

-68.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ₦2,178

$2.32 ₡1,044

-29.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₦1,673

$1.61 ₡728

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ₦1,449

$4.74 ₡2,138

-77.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 ₦1,775

$1.66 ₡747

-19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ₦1,760

$3.72 ₡1,679

-64.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ₦1,811

$3.57 ₡1,611

-61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ₦1,116

$1.10 ₡497

-23.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₦487

$2.55 ₡1,149

-85.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.59 ₦782

$4.95 ₡2,232

-88.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.43 ₦3,227

$20.01 ₡9,020

-87.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦718

$2.79 ₡1,256

-80.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₦662

$3.53 ₡1,589

-85.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₦540

$1.19 ₡537

-65.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.01 ₦26.6K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-72.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₦883

$2.24 ₡1,011

-70.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ₦1,281

$1.55 ₡701

-38.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₦2,894

$8.86 ₡3,993

-75.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 ₦1,086

$1.57 ₡708

-47.77%

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

$11.4K ₦15.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-47.73%

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

$13.8K ₦18.4M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-60.10%

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

$115 ₦152.2K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

22.59%

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

$14.89 ₦19.8K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-57.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.78 ₦43.5K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-36.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.31 ₦37.6K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-60.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.98 ₦9,267

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-80.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ₦8,094

$7.84 ₡3,535

-22.32%

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

$654 ₦869.4K

$490 ₡220.7K

33.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ₦26.4M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

67.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.85 ₦19.7K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-72.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.57 ₦24.7K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-66.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.39 ₦48.3K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-54.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.64 ₦66.0K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-37.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₦968.4K

$786 ₡354.3K

-7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 ₦560.3K

$780 ₡351.6K

-45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,827 ₦3.8M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-26.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 ₦2.0M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

6.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,191 ₦4.2M

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-54.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,647 ₦2.2M

$1,201 ₡541.3K

37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$118 ₦157.2K

$876 ₡395.0K

-86.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

8.62

113.34%

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

Last update for Lagos: 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

Lagos

$422 44.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 84.9% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$162 17%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 11% $18

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$152 15.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 130% $198

Eating Out

Lagos

$98 10.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 113% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$54 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 124% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$41 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 115% $47

Getting Around

Lagos

$27 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 220% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Lagos 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 641% 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 $49.00 in Lagos versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $152 vs $350 – making Lagos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Lagos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

7 h behind Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,404,112

4,912

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,329 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR).

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 NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lagos Nosara 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lagos
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

Lagos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 95% more than Lagos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,411 per month in Lagos 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 Lagos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $654 per month in Lagos 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 130% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lagos, where all-in costs run around $941, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Lagos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lagos costs $941 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Lagos. 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.