Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marondera and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Marondera: $761 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Marondera
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Marondera Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Marondera

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$761

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $761 in Marondera versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Marondera $761
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,162 in Marondera versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Marondera $1,162
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,563 in Marondera versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Marondera $1,563
Nosara $3,818

Living in Marondera costs roughly 59% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Marondera is 44% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 ZWL 136

$12.35 ₡5,539

-58.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.81 ZWL 1,192

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-26.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 ZWL 155

$7.52 ₡3,373

-22.61%

Cappuccino

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

$4.41 ₡1,978

-56.01%

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

$0.93 ZWL 24.86

$1.74 ₡780

-46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 11.93

$1.31 ₡587

-65.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZWL 32.55

$3.28 ₡1,471

-62.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$4.47 ₡2,004

-54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ZWL 27.17

$1.56 ₡701

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.26

$3.02 ₡1,355

-66.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ZWL 27.01

$2.51 ₡1,125

-59.36%

Eggs

$1.99 ZWL 52.9

$3.57 ₡1,603

-44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZWL 271

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 ZWL 131

$10.52 ₡4,717

-53.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$13.97 ₡6,265

-63.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ZWL 79.0

$2.35 ₡1,052

26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 45.09

$1.61 ₡720

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 ZWL 52.2

$4.80 ₡2,152

-59.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ZWL 41.66

$1.61 ₡724

-2.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 ZWL 44.78

$3.80 ₡1,703

-55.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ZWL 46.13

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ZWL 34.17

$1.13 ₡507

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ZWL 25.49

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 51.9

$5.18 ₡2,321

-62.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.97 ZWL 106

$19.88 ₡8,916

-80.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ZWL 35.34

$2.90 ₡1,300

-54.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ZWL 50.1

$3.63 ₡1,626

-48.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 ZWL 109

$2.14 ₡958

91.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

$1.57 ₡703

23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZWL 137

$8.52 ₡3,823

-39.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 ZWL 49.68

$1.52 ₡682

23.03%

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

$22.2K ZWL 589.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

2.60%

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

$27.8K ZWL 740.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.40%

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

$50.6 ZWL 1,348

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-47.41%

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

$21.90 ZWL 583

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-38.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 ZWL 1,815

$53.6 ₡24.0K

27.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 ZWL 269

$7.89 ₡3,539

28.01%

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

$435 ZWL 11.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-12.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,450 ZWL 224.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-28.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.33 ZWL 621

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.97 ZWL 558

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-62.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.56 ZWL 1,026

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-50.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.89 ZWL 1,088

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-48.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ZWL 6,703

$788 ₡353.4K

-68.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ZWL 6,544

$794 ₡356.2K

-69.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 ZWL 10.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ZWL 9,450

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-74.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

8.62

58.82%

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

Last update for Marondera: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marondera

$246 32.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 223% $548

Groceries & Markets

Marondera

$187 24.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 88.2% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marondera

$141 18.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32% $45

Eating Out

Marondera

$97 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 117% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Marondera

$56 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 116% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Marondera

$20 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 333% $67

Getting Around

Marondera

$14 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 530% $73

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 $252 in Marondera and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Marondera vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $352 per month, with Marondera cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Marondera

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

21:24 9:24 PM

8 h behind Marondera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,283

4,912

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 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 ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Marondera Nosara 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Marondera
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

Marondera vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marondera and Nosara differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($761 vs $1,839 including rent). Marondera is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,141 in Marondera and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $252 in Marondera versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $435 in Marondera versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Marondera – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $761 in Marondera versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marondera but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Marondera the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Marondera 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 Marondera gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.