Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maputo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,109 per month in Maputo vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Maputo $1,109
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Maputo vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Maputo $1,720
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Maputo vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Maputo $2,331
Nosara $3,712

Maputo is about 40% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Maputo sits 17% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 MZN 656

$12.22 ₡5,509

-15.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 MZN 3,995

$60.2 ₡27.1K

4.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 MZN 440

$7.54 ₡3,399

-7.82%

Cappuccino

$2.28 MZN 144

$4.31 ₡1,941

-47.10%

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

$0.87 MZN 55.2

$1.72 ₡773

-49.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 MZN 46.29

$1.35 ₡608

-45.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MZN 101

$3.24 ₡1,459

-50.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 MZN 147

$4.48 ₡2,018

-48.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MZN 96.1

$1.57 ₡707

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MZN 63.0

$3.17 ₡1,429

-68.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MZN 106

$2.42 ₡1,091

-30.99%

Eggs

$2.52 MZN 159

$3.57 ₡1,609

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.02 MZN 1,329

$7.43 ₡3,349

182.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 MZN 371

$10.42 ₡4,697

-43.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.59 MZN 353

$13.66 ₡6,156

-59.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MZN 126

$2.32 ₡1,044

-14.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 MZN 50.2

$1.61 ₡728

-50.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$4.74 ₡2,138

-63.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MZN 68.7

$1.66 ₡747

-34.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 MZN 65.4

$3.72 ₡1,679

-72.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MZN 47.25

$3.57 ₡1,611

-78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MZN 61.0

$1.10 ₡497

-12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MZN 57.4

$2.55 ₡1,149

-64.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$4.95 ₡2,232

-42.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 MZN 639

$20.01 ₡9,020

-49.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MZN 61.7

$2.79 ₡1,256

-64.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MZN 83.6

$3.53 ₡1,589

-62.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MZN 23.45

$1.19 ₡537

-68.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.65 MZN 1,496

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-67.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 MZN 101

$2.24 ₡1,011

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MZN 75.2

$1.55 ₡701

-23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 MZN 1,546

$8.86 ₡3,993

175.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MZN 85.8

$1.57 ₡708

-13.38%

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

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

45.60%

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

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-35.02%

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

$71.5 MZN 4,520

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-23.53%

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

$7.75 MZN 490

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-77.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 MZN 5,573

$51.5 ₡23.2K

71.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 MZN 2,673

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-40.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.54 MZN 1,679

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-25.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 MZN 499

$7.84 ₡3,535

0.51%

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

$129 MZN 8,158

$490 ₡220.7K

-73.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-56.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 MZN 3,109

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-8.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MZN 3,496

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MZN 4,881

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-2.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MZN 4,940

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 MZN 33.9K

$786 ₡354.3K

-31.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MZN 24.2K

$780 ₡351.6K

-51.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-72.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 MZN 35.8K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-59.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-40.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

70.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 MZN 20.6K

$876 ₡395.0K

-62.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

190.02%

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

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maputo

$382 33.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 104% $398

Groceries & Markets

Maputo

$225 19.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 55.3% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maputo

$167 14.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 7.6% $13

Eating Out

Maputo

$150 13.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 39.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Maputo

$117 10.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Maputo

$58 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 50.1% $29

Getting Around

Maputo

$33 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 166% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Maputo 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 170% 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 $63.0 in Maputo versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Maputo vs $350 in Nosara – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Maputo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

21:45 9:45 PM

8 h behind Maputo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,227 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MZN – Mozambican Metical Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇿 Mozambican Metical (MT)

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.94 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 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 MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maputo Nosara 13,300 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Maputo
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

Maputo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,109 in Maputo, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,663 per month in Maputo 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 Maputo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $129 per month in Maputo 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 55% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,109, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Maputo 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 $1,109 in Maputo to $1,837 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 Maputo. 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.