Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mossel Bay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,103 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,103

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,103 per month in Mossel Bay vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,103
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,738 per month in Mossel Bay vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,738
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Mossel Bay vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mossel Bay $2,374
Nosara $3,818

Mossel Bay is about 40% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mossel Bay sits 18% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.78 R 244

$12.35 ₡5,539

19.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.61 R 784

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-22.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 R 144

$7.52 ₡3,373

16.49%

Cappuccino

$2.60 R 42.86

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.04%

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

$1.33 R 21.90

$1.74 ₡780

-23.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.68

$1.31 ₡587

-27.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.23

$3.28 ₡1,471

-25.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 R 48.42

$4.47 ₡2,004

-34.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.56 ₡701

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.83

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 R 43.02

$2.51 ₡1,125

3.98%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.8

$3.57 ₡1,603

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 R 155

$7.43 ₡3,333

26.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 83.1

$10.52 ₡4,717

-52.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.11 R 134

$13.97 ₡6,265

-41.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.86

$2.35 ₡1,052

-17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.82

$1.61 ₡720

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.81

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.64

$1.61 ₡724

26.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$3.80 ₡1,703

-61.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.53

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.15

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.20

$2.66 ₡1,191

-53.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.18 ₡2,321

-30.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 R 81.2

$19.88 ₡8,916

-75.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.10

$2.90 ₡1,300

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.09

$3.63 ₡1,626

-46.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 R 23.39

$1.12 ₡504

26.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 R 9.09

$2.14 ₡958

-74.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.22

$1.57 ₡703

-41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 R 180

$8.52 ₡3,823

28.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.89

$1.52 ₡682

-4.61%

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

$29.3K R 482.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

35.44%

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

$27.8K R 457.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.59%

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

$109 R 1,797

$96.3 ₡43.2K

13.25%

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

$18.50 R 305

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-48.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.39 R 698

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-20.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.17 R 349

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-70.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 R 181

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-68.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.13 R 117

$7.89 ₡3,539

-9.63%

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

$224 R 3,687

$494 ₡221.6K

-54.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,534 R 91.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-53.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.68 R 802

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-9.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.49 R 338

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-63.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 R 1,641

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 R 1,120

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-14.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 R 8,319

$788 ₡353.4K

-35.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 R 6,066

$794 ₡356.2K

-53.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 R 17.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 R 11.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-50.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$599 R 9,866

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-91.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 R 9,998

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-50.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 R 24.2K

$864 ₡387.3K

70.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

8.62

36.31%

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

Last update for Mossel Bay: 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

Mossel Bay

$368 33.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 116% $426

Groceries & Markets

Mossel Bay

$209 19%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 68.2% $143

Eating Out

Mossel Bay

$203 18.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4.4% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mossel Bay

$170 15.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 9.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Mossel Bay

$107 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 147% $52

Getting Around

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 703% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Mossel Bay 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 70% higher in Mossel Bay, 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 $48.00 in Mossel Bay versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $352 – making Mossel Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

8 h behind Mossel Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

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

Mossel Bay Nosara 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mossel Bay
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

Mossel Bay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,103 in Mossel Bay, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,655 per month in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay, 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 $48.00 in Mossel Bay 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 68% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mossel Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,103, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mossel Bay 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 $1,103 in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay. 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.