Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matola and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
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Matola Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $995 per month in Matola vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Matola $995
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,520 per month in Matola vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Matola $1,520
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,045 per month in Matola vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Matola $2,045
Nosara $3,818

Matola is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Matola sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.60 MZN 481

$12.35 ₡5,539

-38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 MZN 4,010

$61.2 ₡27.4K

3.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 MZN 463

$7.52 ₡3,373

-2.66%

Cappuccino

$1.58 MZN 99.9

$4.41 ₡1,978

-64.17%

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

$0.82 MZN 52.1

$1.74 ₡780

-52.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MZN 46.85

$1.31 ₡587

-43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 MZN 72.9

$3.28 ₡1,471

-64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 MZN 96.3

$4.47 ₡2,004

-66.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 MZN 97.4

$1.56 ₡701

-1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MZN 62.8

$3.02 ₡1,355

-67.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MZN 105

$2.51 ₡1,125

-33.86%

Eggs

$1.84 MZN 117

$3.57 ₡1,603

-48.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 MZN 828

$7.43 ₡3,333

76.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 MZN 357

$10.52 ₡4,717

-46.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 MZN 288

$13.97 ₡6,265

-67.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 MZN 131

$2.35 ₡1,052

-11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 MZN 37.08

$1.61 ₡720

-63.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MZN 108

$4.80 ₡2,152

-64.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MZN 67.9

$1.61 ₡724

-33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MZN 62.7

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 MZN 51.8

$3.69 ₡1,657

-77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MZN 61.2

$1.13 ₡507

-14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MZN 33.63

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MZN 179

$5.18 ₡2,321

-45.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 MZN 442

$19.88 ₡8,916

-64.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 MZN 57.2

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MZN 78.4

$3.63 ₡1,626

-65.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MZN 101

$2.14 ₡958

-25.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MZN 75.6

$1.57 ₡703

-23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.67 MZN 1,560

$8.52 ₡3,823

189.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MZN 89.8

$1.52 ₡682

-6.58%

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

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

49.10%

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

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.86%

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

$39.72 MZN 2,512

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-58.75%

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

$7.80 MZN 493

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-78.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.3 MZN 4,891

$53.6 ₡24.0K

44.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.53 MZN 2,500

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 MZN 498

$7.89 ₡3,539

-0.25%

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

$130 MZN 8,234

$494 ₡221.6K

-73.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-57.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.07 MZN 3,104

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-9.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 MZN 3,606

$55.4 ₡24.8K

2.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 MZN 4,939

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MZN 5,019

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 MZN 29.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MZN 24.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-50.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MZN 43.8K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-82.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 MZN 34.9K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-61.13%

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)

$315 MZN 19.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

-63.55%

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 Matola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matola

$389 39.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 104% $405

Groceries & Markets

Matola

$182 18.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 93.2% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matola

$125 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Matola

$119 11.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.3% $1.5

Eating Out

Matola

$117 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 81.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Matola

$55 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 58.1% $32

Getting Around

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1051% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $473 in Matola 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 174% 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 Matola versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Matola vs $352 in Nosara – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇿 Matola

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

06:14 6:14 AM

8 h behind Matola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

675,422

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 = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 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 MZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matola Nosara 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Matola
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

Matola vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $995 in Matola, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,492 per month in Matola 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 Matola, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $995 in Matola and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 85%.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Matola and $494 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 Matola, where all-in costs run around $995, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Matola 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 $995 in Matola to $1,839 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 Matola. 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.