Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,089 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,089

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,089 in Middelburg versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Middelburg $1,089
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,696 in Middelburg versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Middelburg $1,696
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,303 in Middelburg versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Middelburg $2,303
Nosara $3,818

Living in Middelburg costs roughly 41% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Middelburg is 19% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.75 R 161

$12.35 ₡5,539

-21.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.51 R 585

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-41.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 R 94.3

$7.52 ₡3,373

-23.94%

Cappuccino

$1.35 R 22.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

-69.39%

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

$0.85 R 14.06

$1.74 ₡780

-51.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 R 9.95

$1.31 ₡587

-54.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R 19.31

$3.28 ₡1,471

-64.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.41

$4.47 ₡2,004

-65.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.78

$1.56 ₡701

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.83

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.91

$2.51 ₡1,125

-39.84%

Eggs

$1.70 R 28.01

$3.57 ₡1,603

-52.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 R 97.7

$7.43 ₡3,333

-20.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 R 84.6

$10.52 ₡4,717

-51.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.54 R 108

$13.97 ₡6,265

-53.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 R 26.95

$2.35 ₡1,052

-30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.83

$1.61 ₡720

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R 19.00

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.30

$1.61 ₡724

-23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.62

$3.80 ₡1,703

-55.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.64

$3.69 ₡1,657

-67.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 R 19.59

$1.13 ₡507

5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.71

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 R 39.66

$5.18 ₡2,321

-53.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 R 81.5

$19.88 ₡8,916

-75.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.47

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R 33.65

$3.63 ₡1,626

-43.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 R 23.77

$1.12 ₡504

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.42 R 699

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-41.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.66

$2.14 ₡958

-72.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.38

$1.57 ₡703

-44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.56 R 190

$8.52 ₡3,823

35.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.81

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$35.1K R 577.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.32%

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

$32.1K R 528.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.09%

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

$145 R 2,382

$96.3 ₡43.2K

50.13%

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

$34.32 R 565

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-4.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.05 R 610

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-30.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R 525

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 R 178

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-69.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 118

$7.89 ₡3,539

-8.87%

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

$243 R 4,005

$494 ₡221.6K

-50.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,359 R 88.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R 874

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-1.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 R 541

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-40.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 R 1,623

$77.9 ₡34.9K

26.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 R 1,455

$79.6 ₡35.7K

10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 R 6,369

$788 ₡353.4K

-50.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 R 5,836

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-87.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$665 R 10.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-45.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 R 19.6K

$864 ₡387.3K

38.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.62

26.91%

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

Last update for Middelburg: 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

Middelburg

$354 32.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 124% $440

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$216 19.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14% $30

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$170 15.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 107% $182

Eating Out

Middelburg

$126 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 68% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$123 11.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.1% $2.6

Getting Around

Middelburg

$53 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 63.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$46 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 89% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Middelburg and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Middelburg vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $352 per month, with Middelburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

8 h behind Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,348

4,912

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Middelburg Nosara 12,990 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

Middelburg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Middelburg wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Middelburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Middelburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Middelburg versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Middelburg runs roughly 71% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $243 in Middelburg versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,089 in Middelburg versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Middelburg but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Middelburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Middelburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,089 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Middelburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Middelburg 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 Middelburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.