Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbarara and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $504 per month in Mbarara vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mbarara $504
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $798 per month in Mbarara vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mbarara $798
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,093 per month in Mbarara vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mbarara $1,093
Nosara $3,818

Mbarara is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mbarara sits 63% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-79.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

$7.52 ₡3,373

1.60%

Cappuccino

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.54%

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

$0.35 UGX 1,455

$1.74 ₡780

-79.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 UGX 1,165

$1.31 ₡587

-78.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 UGX 4,998

$3.28 ₡1,471

-62.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 UGX 7,765

$4.47 ₡2,004

-57.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 UGX 2,012

$1.56 ₡701

-68.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 UGX 3,621

$3.02 ₡1,355

-70.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 UGX 5,239

$2.51 ₡1,125

-49.40%

Eggs

$1.56 UGX 6,409

$3.57 ₡1,603

-56.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

$7.43 ₡3,333

-39.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-55.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-75.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 UGX 8,662

$2.35 ₡1,052

-10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,284

$1.61 ₡720

-20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 UGX 5,316

$4.80 ₡2,152

-73.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 UGX 4,820

$1.61 ₡724

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 UGX 5,236

$3.80 ₡1,703

-66.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 5,007

$3.69 ₡1,657

-66.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 UGX 3,065

$1.13 ₡507

-33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 UGX 2,149

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

$5.18 ₡2,321

-52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 UGX 4,363

$2.90 ₡1,300

-63.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 UGX 8,042

$3.63 ₡1,626

-46.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 UGX 3,030

$1.12 ₡504

-33.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 UGX 1,975

$2.14 ₡958

-77.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UGX 1,334

$1.57 ₡703

-79.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

$8.52 ₡3,823

-62.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 UGX 5,972

$1.52 ₡682

-4.61%

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

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-65.49%

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

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-78.71%

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

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-26.61%

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

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-33.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-73.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

$7.89 ₡3,539

-4.31%

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

$255 UGX 1.0M

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-28.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-73.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-76.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-58.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

$788 ₡353.4K

-89.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

$794 ₡356.2K

-90.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 UGX 981.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-93.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 UGX 708.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-87.87%

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 %)

20.75

8.62

140.72%

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

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbarara

$141 28%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 150% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbarara

$118 23.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 57.3% $68

Eating Out

Mbarara

$85 16.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 149% $127

Accommodation & Living

Mbarara

$74 14.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 970% $720

Clothing & Footwear

Mbarara

$47 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 158% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Mbarara

$34 6.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 157% $53

Getting Around

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1625% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $85.9 in Mbarara 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Mbarara versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $352 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

18:01 6:01 PM

9 h behind Mbarara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,013

4,912

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 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 UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbarara Nosara 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbarara
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

Mbarara vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 265%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $755 per month in Mbarara 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 Mbarara, 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 $25.00 in Mbarara and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 150% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbarara – 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 Mbarara. 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.