Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lubumbashi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lubumbashi: $1,228 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Lubumbashi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Lubumbashi $1,228
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,727 per month in Lubumbashi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Lubumbashi $2,727
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,226 per month in Lubumbashi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Lubumbashi $4,226
Nosara $3,818

Lubumbashi is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Lubumbashi sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-19.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

62.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.91%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CDF 9,131

$4.41 ₡1,978

-8.62%

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

$1.08 CDF 2,458

$1.74 ₡780

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CDF 4,508

$3.28 ₡1,471

-39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 CDF 5,756

$4.47 ₡2,004

-43.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CDF 4,446

$1.56 ₡701

25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CDF 2,764

$3.02 ₡1,355

-59.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CDF 7,204

$2.51 ₡1,125

26.69%

Eggs

$2.10 CDF 4,761

$3.57 ₡1,603

-41.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

$7.43 ₡3,333

98.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

$13.97 ₡6,265

11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

$2.35 ₡1,052

111.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 CDF 6,960

$1.61 ₡720

90.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

$4.80 ₡2,152

1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 CDF 6,745

$1.61 ₡724

85.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 CDF 5,810

$3.80 ₡1,703

-32.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CDF 6,020

$3.69 ₡1,657

-27.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CDF 2,220

$1.13 ₡507

-13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CDF 2,774

$2.66 ₡1,191

-54.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 CDF 9,227

$5.18 ₡2,321

-21.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-35.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 CDF 2,600

$2.90 ₡1,300

-60.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CDF 4,719

$3.63 ₡1,626

-42.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 CDF 2,289

$1.12 ₡504

-9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

$2.14 ₡958

108.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

$8.52 ₡3,823

15.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 CDF 3,361

$1.52 ₡682

-2.63%

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

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

15.94%

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

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.42%

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

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

3.73%

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

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-43.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

2.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$132 CDF 297.9K

$494 ₡221.6K

-73.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-58.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-59.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 CDF 2.0M

$788 ₡353.4K

9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 CDF 851.7K

$794 ₡356.2K

-52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

44.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-85.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 CDF 1.1M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-59.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

$864 ₡387.3K

23.24%

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 Lubumbashi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 111% $418

Groceries & Markets

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3% $5.4

Eating Out

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lubumbashi

$86 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 40.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.7% $14

Getting Around

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 924% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Lubumbashi versus $788 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 23% higher in Lubumbashi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Lubumbashi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Lubumbashi vs $352 in Nosara – so Lubumbashi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

8 h behind Lubumbashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,139,064

4,912

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CDF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lubumbashi Nosara 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Lubumbashi
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

Lubumbashi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,228 in Lubumbashi, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,842 per month in Lubumbashi and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lubumbashi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,228 in Lubumbashi and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Lubumbashi and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lubumbashi, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Lubumbashi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,228 in Lubumbashi to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Lubumbashi. 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.