Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Limbe and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Limbe: $880 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Limbe
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Limbe Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Limbe

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$880

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $880 in Limbe versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Limbe $880
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Limbe versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Limbe $1,521
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,162 in Limbe versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Limbe $2,162
Nosara $3,818

Living in Limbe costs roughly 52% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Limbe is 35% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 FCFA 2,445

$12.35 ₡5,547

-66.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 FCFA 69.9K

$61.2 ₡27.5K

95.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.97 FCFA 4,083

$7.52 ₡3,377

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$1.07 FCFA 628

$4.41 ₡1,981

-75.74%

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

$1.57 FCFA 922

$1.74 ₡781

-9.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 FCFA 460

$1.31 ₡588

-39.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 FCFA 709

$3.28 ₡1,473

-63.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 FCFA 1,525

$4.47 ₡2,007

-41.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.54 FCFA 1,486

$1.56 ₡702

62.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 FCFA 235

$3.02 ₡1,357

-86.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 FCFA 942

$2.51 ₡1,127

-35.86%

Eggs

$1.92 FCFA 1,124

$3.57 ₡1,605

-46.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 FCFA 5,547

$7.43 ₡3,338

27.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 FCFA 2,704

$10.52 ₡4,724

-56.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.24 FCFA 3,652

$13.97 ₡6,274

-55.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 FCFA 1,070

$2.35 ₡1,054

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 FCFA 649

$1.61 ₡721

-31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 FCFA 1,111

$4.80 ₡2,155

-60.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 FCFA 798

$1.61 ₡725

-15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 FCFA 1,077

$3.80 ₡1,706

-51.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 FCFA 1,220

$3.69 ₡1,659

-43.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 FCFA 441

$1.13 ₡507

-33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 FCFA 388

$2.66 ₡1,193

-75.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 FCFA 1,462

$5.18 ₡2,324

-51.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 FCFA 4,966

$19.88 ₡8,929

-57.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 FCFA 859

$2.90 ₡1,302

-49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 FCFA 1,040

$3.63 ₡1,628

-50.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 FCFA 505

$1.12 ₡505

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.24 FCFA 14.8K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-65.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 FCFA 313

$2.14 ₡959

-75.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 FCFA 117

$1.57 ₡704

-87.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 FCFA 973

$8.52 ₡3,828

-80.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 FCFA 671

$1.52 ₡683

-24.34%

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

$30.4K FCFA 17.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

40.48%

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

$15.4K FCFA 9.0M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-55.47%

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

$85.8 FCFA 50.3K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-10.87%

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

$25.49 FCFA 14.9K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-28.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 FCFA 48.0K

$53.6 ₡24.1K

52.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.70 FCFA 25.0K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.30 FCFA 2,519

$7.89 ₡3,544

-45.50%

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

$344 FCFA 201.6K

$494 ₡221.9K

-30.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,670 FCFA 978.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-85.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 FCFA 46.0K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

45.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 FCFA 39.5K

$55.4 ₡24.9K

21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 FCFA 79.7K

$77.9 ₡35.0K

74.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 FCFA 87.3K

$79.6 ₡35.8K

87.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 FCFA 76.5K

$794 ₡356.7K

-83.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 FCFA 79.7K

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-90.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

8.62

120.88%

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

Last update for Limbe: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Limbe

$194 22.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 38.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Limbe

$193 22%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.9% $7.5

Groceries & Markets

Limbe

$192 21.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 83.1% $160

Accommodation & Living

Limbe

$131 14.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 508% $664

Eating Out

Limbe

$88 10%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 141% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Limbe

$51 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.3% $36

Getting Around

Limbe

$30 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 188% $57

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $119 in Limbe vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $352, with Limbe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Limbe

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

7 h behind Limbe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,210

4,912

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Limbe Nosara 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Limbe
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

Limbe vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Limbe and Nosara differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($880 vs $1,839 including rent). Limbe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,320 in Limbe and $2,758 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Limbe – a meal for two runs $119 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $880 in Limbe versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Limbe but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Limbe 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, Limbe 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 Limbe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.