Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandurah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,351 in Mandurah, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Mandurah
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Mandurah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mandurah

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,351

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,351 per month in Mandurah vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mandurah $2,351
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,455 per month in Mandurah vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mandurah $3,455
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,558 per month in Mandurah vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mandurah $4,558
Nosara $3,818

Mandurah costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mandurah and Nosara sit above the global median – Mandurah by 74%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 A$28.66

$12.35 ₡5,556

62.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 A$119

$61.2 ₡27.5K

35.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 A$15.02

$7.52 ₡3,383

39.49%

Cappuccino

$4.34 A$6.22

$4.41 ₡1,984

-1.59%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$1.74 ₡782

67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 A$3.17

$1.31 ₡589

68.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 A$8.73

$3.28 ₡1,475

85.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 A$12.23

$4.47 ₡2,010

91.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.53

$1.56 ₡703

13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 A$3.71

$3.02 ₡1,359

-14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.82

$2.51 ₡1,129

-21.51%

Eggs

$4.81 A$6.89

$3.57 ₡1,608

34.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 A$13.45

$7.43 ₡3,344

26.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.50

$10.52 ₡4,732

-10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 A$20.16

$13.97 ₡6,284

0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.77

$2.35 ₡1,055

41.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.39

$1.61 ₡722

90.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.97

$4.80 ₡2,159

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 A$7.02

$1.61 ₡726

204.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 A$2.41

$3.80 ₡1,708

-55.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 A$1.18

$3.69 ₡1,662

-77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 A$2.87

$1.13 ₡508

77.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.98

$2.66 ₡1,195

-48.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.22 A$60.5

$5.18 ₡2,328

715.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 A$17.62

$19.88 ₡8,944

-38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.24

$2.90 ₡1,304

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$5.04

$3.63 ₡1,631

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 A$5.37

$1.12 ₡506

234.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 A$130

$72.6 ₡32.7K

24.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 A$5.09

$2.14 ₡961

65.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.06

$1.57 ₡706

-8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.41 A$57.9

$8.52 ₡3,835

374.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.84

$1.52 ₡684

-15.79%

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

$27.5K A$39.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

27.15%

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

$29.9K A$42.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.52%

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

$195 A$279

$96.3 ₡43.3K

102.18%

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

$20.91 A$29.96

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-41.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 A$87.4

$53.6 ₡24.1K

13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 A$48.44

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-52.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.60 A$15.18

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-69.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.56 A$12.26

$7.89 ₡3,550

8.49%

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

$386 A$552

$494 ₡222.3K

-21.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K A$32.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

92.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$111

$53.9 ₡24.3K

43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.43 A$63.7

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-19.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$172

$77.9 ₡35.1K

54.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 A$108

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-5.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 A$2,032

$788 ₡354.5K

79.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 A$1,585

$794 ₡357.3K

39.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 A$3,431

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,756 A$2,515

$1,419 ₡638.4K

23.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,177 A$5,984

$864 ₡388.5K

383.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

8.62

-33.87%

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

Last update for Mandurah: 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

Mandurah

$1.1K 47.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 28.2% $312

Groceries & Markets

Mandurah

$346 14.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.7% $6

Eating Out

Mandurah

$312 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandurah

$277 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Mandurah

$143 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.9% $23

Getting Around

Mandurah

$116 5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 25.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mandurah

$51 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 71.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,418 in Mandurah 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 384% higher in Mandurah, 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 $83.0 in Mandurah versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Mandurah vs $352 in Nosara – so Mandurah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mandurah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

13:07 1:07 PM

14 h behind Mandurah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,643

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandurah Nosara 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mandurah
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

Mandurah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandurah costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,527 per month in Mandurah 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $386 per month in Mandurah and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Mandurah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Mandurah at $2,351. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mandurah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,351 in Mandurah. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mandurah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.