Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maroochydore and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,355 in Maroochydore, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Maroochydore
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Maroochydore Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Maroochydore

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,355

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,355 per month in Maroochydore vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Maroochydore $2,355
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,592 per month in Maroochydore vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Maroochydore $3,592
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,828 per month in Maroochydore vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Maroochydore $4,828
Nosara $3,818

Maroochydore costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.05 A$20.13

$12.35 ₡5,556

13.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 A$137

$61.2 ₡27.5K

56.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 A$12.95

$7.52 ₡3,383

20.21%

Cappuccino

$3.77 A$5.40

$4.41 ₡1,984

-14.51%

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

$2.58 A$3.70

$1.74 ₡782

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.07

$1.31 ₡589

63.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 A$5.88

$3.28 ₡1,475

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 A$10.67

$4.47 ₡2,010

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.56 ₡703

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 A$3.73

$3.02 ₡1,359

-13.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.41

$2.51 ₡1,129

-5.18%

Eggs

$4.76 A$6.81

$3.57 ₡1,608

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 A$12.47

$7.43 ₡3,344

17.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.18

$10.52 ₡4,732

-12.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 A$21.31

$13.97 ₡6,284

6.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.58

$2.35 ₡1,055

65.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.46

$1.61 ₡722

93.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.69

$4.80 ₡2,159

-46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 A$5.34

$1.61 ₡726

131.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 A$3.73

$3.80 ₡1,708

-31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 A$3.02

$3.69 ₡1,662

-43.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 A$3.63

$1.13 ₡508

123.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.12

$2.66 ₡1,195

-44.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.93 A$34.28

$5.18 ₡2,328

361.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.54 A$15.10

$19.88 ₡8,944

-46.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.98 A$8.56

$2.90 ₡1,304

106.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 A$8.28

$3.63 ₡1,631

59.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 A$0.95

$1.12 ₡506

-40.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 A$103

$72.6 ₡32.7K

-0.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 A$2.88

$2.14 ₡961

-6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.57 ₡706

-6.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.38 A$52.1

$8.52 ₡3,835

327.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.96

$1.52 ₡684

-9.87%

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

$26.8K A$38.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

23.80%

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

$23.3K A$33.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-32.64%

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

$217 A$310

$96.3 ₡43.3K

124.99%

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

$30.09 A$43.10

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-16.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 A$77.8

$53.6 ₡24.1K

1.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 A$81.7

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-20.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.30

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.41%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 A$18.88

$7.89 ₡3,550

67.05%

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

$2,157 A$3,091

$494 ₡222.3K

336.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-0.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$110

$53.9 ₡24.3K

41.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$76.9

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$77.9 ₡35.1K

34.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$173

$79.6 ₡35.8K

51.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 A$1,668

$788 ₡354.5K

47.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 A$1,620

$794 ₡357.3K

42.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,054 A$2,942

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-47.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 A$2,899

$1,419 ₡638.4K

42.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,041 A$8,653

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-12.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,962 A$8,541

$1,224 ₡550.7K

387.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,836 A$4,062

$864 ₡388.5K

228.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

8.62

-33.99%

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

Last update for Maroochydore: 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

Maroochydore

$1.1K 48%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 29.7% $336

Groceries & Markets

Maroochydore

$356 15.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.2% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maroochydore

$301 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 38.3% $115

Eating Out

Maroochydore

$239 10.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 11.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Maroochydore

$160 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25% $40

Getting Around

Maroochydore

$84 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3.4% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Maroochydore

$83 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in Maroochydore 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 228% higher in Maroochydore, 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 $96.0 in Maroochydore versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Maroochydore

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

16:10 4:10 PM

16 h behind Maroochydore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,342

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

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Highest

Between locations

Maroochydore Nosara 13,600 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Maroochydore
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

Maroochydore vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,355 in Maroochydore, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,533 per month in Maroochydore 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.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,157 per month in Maroochydore and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Maroochydore at $2,355. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maroochydore 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,355 in Maroochydore. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maroochydore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.