Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masvingo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $606 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$606

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $606 per month in Masvingo vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Masvingo $606
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,005 per month in Masvingo vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Masvingo $1,005
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,405 per month in Masvingo vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Masvingo $1,405
Nosara $3,712

Masvingo is about 67% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Masvingo sits 55% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.03 ZWL 268

$12.22 ₡5,498

-17.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 ZWL 1,198

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-25.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 ZWL 158

$7.54 ₡3,391

-21.49%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ZWL 78.3

$4.31 ₡1,937

-32.02%

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

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

$1.72 ₡772

-41.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 11.96

$1.35 ₡606

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ZWL 33.70

$3.24 ₡1,456

-61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ZWL 53.9

$4.48 ₡2,014

-54.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ZWL 41.12

$1.57 ₡705

-1.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 ZWL 27.40

$3.17 ₡1,426

-67.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 45.14

$2.42 ₡1,089

-30.17%

Eggs

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$3.57 ₡1,605

-45.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 ZWL 309

$7.43 ₡3,342

55.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 ZWL 147

$10.42 ₡4,687

-47.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.50 ZWL 173

$13.66 ₡6,143

-52.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ZWL 78.1

$2.32 ₡1,042

25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ZWL 43.45

$1.61 ₡726

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ZWL 53.2

$4.74 ₡2,133

-58.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ZWL 42.20

$1.66 ₡746

-4.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 ZWL 45.59

$3.72 ₡1,675

-54.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 ZWL 47.74

$3.57 ₡1,608

-49.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ZWL 34.18

$1.10 ₡496

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.15

$2.55 ₡1,147

-63.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 ZWL 51.9

$4.95 ₡2,227

-60.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 ZWL 219

$20.01 ₡9,001

-58.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.74

$2.79 ₡1,253

-50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ZWL 52.4

$3.53 ₡1,586

-44.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 ZWL 109

$2.24 ₡1,009

82.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ZWL 53.7

$1.55 ₡699

29.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 ZWL 131

$8.86 ₡3,985

-44.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 ZWL 49.47

$1.57 ₡706

17.83%

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

$21.9K ZWL 583.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

0.23%

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

$27.4K ZWL 732.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-20.76%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,354

$93.5 ₡42.0K

-45.72%

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

$21.58 ZWL 576

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-38.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 ZWL 1,866

$51.5 ₡23.2K

35.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 ZWL 268

$7.84 ₡3,528

28.32%

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

$441 ZWL 11.8K

$490 ₡220.2K

-9.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,395 ZWL 224.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.54 ZWL 628

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-56.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.02 ZWL 561

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-62.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.55 ZWL 1,029

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-51.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.69 ZWL 1,059

$78.9 ₡35.5K

-49.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

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 Masvingo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masvingo

$215 36%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 62.8% $135

Eating Out

Masvingo

$149 25.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 40.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masvingo

$142 23.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 26.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Masvingo

$55 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 118% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Masvingo

$20 * 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 333% $67

Getting Around

Masvingo

$14 * 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 514% $73

Accommodation & Living

Masvingo

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Masvingo versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $350 – making Masvingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

19:39 7:39 PM

8 h behind Masvingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,527

4,912

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.75 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 26.69 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.75 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masvingo Nosara 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Masvingo
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

Masvingo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $606 in Masvingo, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 203% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $908 per month in Masvingo and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $606 in Masvingo and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 203%.

Kindergarten costs $441 per month in Masvingo and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Masvingo, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Masvingo 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 $606 in Masvingo 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 Masvingo. 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.