Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margaret River and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,566 in Margaret River, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Margaret River
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Margaret River Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Margaret River

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,566

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,566 per month in Margaret River vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Margaret River $2,566
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,723 per month in Margaret River vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Margaret River $3,723
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,880 per month in Margaret River vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Margaret River $4,880
Nosara $3,818

Margaret River costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Margaret River and Nosara sit above the global median – Margaret River by 90%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 A$28.39

$12.35 ₡5,556

60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.0 A$117

$61.2 ₡27.5K

33.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.13

$7.52 ₡3,383

40.43%

Cappuccino

$4.42 A$6.33

$4.41 ₡1,984

0.23%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$1.74 ₡782

67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.13

$1.31 ₡589

66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.90

$3.28 ₡1,475

153.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.52 A$12.21

$4.47 ₡2,010

90.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 A$2.46

$1.56 ₡703

10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 A$4.53

$3.02 ₡1,359

4.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.84

$2.51 ₡1,129

-21.12%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.54

$3.57 ₡1,608

47.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.94

$7.43 ₡3,344

21.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.90

$10.52 ₡4,732

-14.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 A$19.62

$13.97 ₡6,284

-1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.37

$2.35 ₡1,055

89.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.61 ₡722

92.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.90

$4.80 ₡2,159

-28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.20

$1.61 ₡726

212.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.13

$3.80 ₡1,708

-24.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 A$2.75

$3.69 ₡1,662

-47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$1.13 ₡508

105.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.66 ₡1,195

-48.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.56 A$61.0

$5.18 ₡2,328

721.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 A$18.05

$19.88 ₡8,944

-36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 A$6.05

$2.90 ₡1,304

45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 A$4.91

$3.63 ₡1,631

-5.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.23

$1.12 ₡506

163.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$118

$72.6 ₡32.7K

13.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 A$5.13

$2.14 ₡961

67.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.57 ₡706

-8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.63 A$58.2

$8.52 ₡3,835

376.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.52 ₡684

-11.18%

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

$27.7K A$39.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

28.12%

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

$29.1K A$41.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.77%

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

$197 A$282

$96.3 ₡43.3K

104.38%

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

$32.94 A$47.18

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$92.0

$53.6 ₡24.1K

19.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 A$80.2

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-21.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.38 A$24.89

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 A$24.60

$7.89 ₡3,550

117.62%

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

$2,306 A$3,304

$494 ₡222.3K

366.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

92.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$53.9 ₡24.3K

43.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 A$93.6

$55.4 ₡24.9K

17.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$176

$77.9 ₡35.1K

57.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 A$234

$79.6 ₡35.8K

105.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,986

$788 ₡354.5K

75.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 A$1,718

$794 ₡357.3K

50.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 A$3,108

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 A$2,614

$1,419 ₡638.4K

28.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,036 A$7,214

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-27.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,814 A$6,896

$1,224 ₡550.7K

293.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,954 A$4,232

$864 ₡388.5K

242.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

8.62

-31.44%

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

Last update for Margaret River: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Margaret River

$1.2K 46.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 33.8% $405

Groceries & Markets

Margaret River

$362 14.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.7% $9.6

Eating Out

Margaret River

$322 12.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margaret River

$294 11.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 36.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Margaret River

$193 7.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 37.8% $73

Getting Around

Margaret River

$105 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 16.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Margaret River

$90 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.3% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Margaret River 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 242% higher in Margaret River, 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 $82.0 in Margaret River versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Margaret River

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

15:11 3:11 PM

14 h behind Margaret River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 = 0.624 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Margaret River Nosara 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Margaret River
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

Margaret River vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Margaret River is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,849 per month in Margaret River 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Margaret River and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,566 in Margaret River and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 40%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Margaret River at $2,566. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Margaret River it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Margaret River makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.