Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahé and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Mahé and in Nosara: $1,799 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,799

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,799 in Mahé versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Mahé $1,799
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,618 in Mahé versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Mahé $2,618
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Mahé versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Mahé $3,438
Nosara $3,712

Living in Mahé costs roughly 2% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mahé 34% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 SCR 254

$12.22 ₡5,509

43.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 SCR 1,564

$60.2 ₡27.1K

79.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 SCR 82.0

$7.54 ₡3,399

-24.93%

Cappuccino

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$4.31 ₡1,941

52.90%

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

$1.62 SCR 23.47

$1.72 ₡773

-5.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.68 SCR 184

$3.24 ₡1,459

291.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SCR 132

$4.48 ₡2,018

103.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 SCR 22.84

$1.57 ₡707

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 SCR 15.83

$3.17 ₡1,429

-65.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 SCR 26.66

$2.42 ₡1,091

-23.97%

Eggs

$4.29 SCR 62.1

$3.57 ₡1,609

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 SCR 230

$7.43 ₡3,349

113.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 SCR 120

$10.42 ₡4,697

-20.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 SCR 188

$13.66 ₡6,156

-5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 SCR 29.93

$2.32 ₡1,044

-10.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 SCR 35.04

$4.74 ₡2,138

-48.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$1.66 ₡747

296.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SCR 15.33

$3.72 ₡1,679

-71.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SCR 15.23

$3.57 ₡1,611

-70.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SCR 15.81

$1.10 ₡497

-0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.50 SCR 210

$4.95 ₡2,232

192.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SCR 31.75

$3.53 ₡1,589

-37.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 SCR 11.03

$1.19 ₡537

-36.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.50 SCR 514

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-50.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.40 SCR 209

$8.86 ₡3,993

62.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 SCR 21.40

$1.57 ₡708

-5.73%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$49.22 SCR 713

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-47.33%

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

$21.81 SCR 316

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-37.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 SCR 1,523

$51.5 ₡23.2K

104.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 SCR 766

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-25.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 SCR 90.6

$7.84 ₡3,535

-20.15%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.88 SCR 433

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-44.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.99 SCR 174

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-78.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.18 SCR 683

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-40.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 SCR 851

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 SCR 12.6K

$786 ₡354.3K

10.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SCR 12.2K

$780 ₡351.6K

7.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 SCR 25.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-54.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 SCR 15.3K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-24.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$855 SCR 12.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

-2.41%

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 Mahé: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahé

$842 47.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 7.4% $62

Eating Out

Mahé

$324 * 18.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 35.5% $115

Groceries & Markets

Mahé

$246 * 14%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 42% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahé

$176 10%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 2.2% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mahé

$67 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 80.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mahé

$65 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.1% $22

Getting Around

Mahé

$39 * 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 125% $48

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 $871 in Mahé and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $108 in Mahé vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $350, with Mahé cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Mahé

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

21:57 9:57 PM

10 h behind Mahé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,539

4,912

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.91 USD

100 SCR = 6.16 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 14.48 SCR (100 SCR = 6.91 USD). 1 EUR = 16.24 SCR (100 SCR = 6.16 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 SCR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahé Nosara 15,690 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahé
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

Mahé vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahé wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mahé the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $871 in Mahé versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,799 per month in Mahé versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,799 in Mahé versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mahé but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mahé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mahé delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,799 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mahé hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mahé 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 Mahé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.