Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moka and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Moka: $915 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Moka
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$915
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Moka vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Moka $915
  • Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,517 per month in Moka vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Moka $1,517
  • Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,119 per month in Moka vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Moka $2,119
  • Nosara $3,712

Moka is about 50% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Moka sits 32% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.22 MUR 294
$12.22 ₡5,509
-49.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.62 MUR 1,307
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-54.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.60 MUR 312
$7.54 ₡3,399
-12.47%
Cappuccino
$4.21 MUR 199
$4.31 ₡1,941
-2.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MUR 48.77
$1.72 ₡773
-40.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 MUR 14.00
$1.35 ₡608
-77.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.66 MUR 126
$3.24 ₡1,459
-17.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 MUR 147
$4.48 ₡2,018
-30.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MUR 78.6
$1.57 ₡707
5.73%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 MUR 35.26
$3.17 ₡1,429
-76.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 MUR 78.9
$2.42 ₡1,091
-30.99%
Eggs
$3.10 MUR 147
$3.57 ₡1,609
-13.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$7.43 ₡3,349
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.41 MUR 492
$10.42 ₡4,697
-0.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.93 MUR 706
$13.66 ₡6,156
9.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.86 MUR 135
$2.32 ₡1,044
23.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 MUR 78.0
$1.61 ₡728
2.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.31 MUR 204
$4.74 ₡2,138
-9.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.29 MUR 203
$1.66 ₡747
158.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.07 MUR 50.7
$3.72 ₡1,679
-71.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 MUR 50.3
$3.57 ₡1,611
-70.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 MUR 40.49
$1.10 ₡497
-21.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 MUR 32.85
$2.55 ₡1,149
-72.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.04 MUR 333
$4.95 ₡2,232
42.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.82 MUR 701
$20.01 ₡9,020
-25.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 MUR 127
$2.79 ₡1,256
-3.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 MUR 153
$3.53 ₡1,589
-8.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Moka
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.19 ₡537
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$2.24 ₡1,011
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.55 ₡701
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.86 ₡3,993
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.59 MUR 75.3
$1.57 ₡708
1.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$21.8K ₡9.8M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$93.5 ₡42.1K
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.24 MUR 200
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-87.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.33 MUR 1,009
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-58.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.77 MUR 982
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-70.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.11 MUR 289
$7.84 ₡3,535
-22.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$103 MUR 4,855
$490 ₡220.7K
-79.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.4M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 MUR 2,792
$53.5 ₡24.1K
10.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.02 MUR 1,515
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-42.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 MUR 5,219
$79.3 ₡35.7K
39.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.0 MUR 3,928
$78.9 ₡35.6K
5.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Moka
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$511 MUR 24.2K
$786 ₡354.3K
-35.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$317 MUR 15.0K
$780 ₡351.6K
-59.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$896 MUR 42.4K
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-76.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$702 MUR 33.2K
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-50.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,201 ₡541.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Moka
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,067 MUR 50.5K
$876 ₡395.0K
21.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
8.62
-30.39%

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

Last update for Moka: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Moka
$317
Nosara
$780 146% $463
Groceries & Markets
Moka
$269 *
Nosara
$350 29.7% $80
Eating Out
Moka
$145
Nosara
$209 44.5% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Moka
$128
Nosara
$120 6% $7.6
Sport & Entertainment
Moka
$33
Nosara
$87 164% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Moka
$26 *
Nosara
$180 604% $154
Getting Around
Moka
- *
Nosara
$87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Moka versus $786 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 22% higher in Moka, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Moka versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $350 – making Moka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Moka
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
14:07 2:07 PM
04:07 4:07 AM
10 h behind Moka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,364
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 47.31 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 53.01 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Moka Nosara 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Moka
  • 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
Moka vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Moka?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Moka and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Moka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Moka and in Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $915 in Moka and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 101%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Moka and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Moka or in Nosara?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Moka, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Moka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Moka or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Moka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Moka or Nosara?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Moka. 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.

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