Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mutare and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$789

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $789 per month in Mutare vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mutare $789
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,220 per month in Mutare vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mutare $1,220
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,651 per month in Mutare vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mutare $1,651
Nosara $3,818

Mutare is about 57% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mutare sits 42% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 ZWL 270

$12.35 ₡5,539

-17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.07 ZWL 1,199

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-26.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 ZWL 118

$7.52 ₡3,373

-41.22%

Cappuccino

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

$4.41 ₡1,978

-70.98%

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

$0.73 ZWL 19.54

$1.74 ₡780

-58.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ZWL 12.11

$1.31 ₡587

-64.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZWL 32.33

$3.28 ₡1,471

-62.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ZWL 47.47

$4.47 ₡2,004

-60.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ZWL 32.42

$1.56 ₡701

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

$3.02 ₡1,355

-67.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ZWL 35.28

$2.51 ₡1,125

-47.01%

Eggs

$1.87 ZWL 49.72

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

$7.43 ₡3,333

-60.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ZWL 107

$10.52 ₡4,717

-61.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.01 ZWL 133

$13.97 ₡6,265

-64.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

$2.35 ₡1,052

-13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.15

$1.61 ₡720

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

$4.80 ₡2,152

-57.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 ZWL 26.18

$1.61 ₡724

-39.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.52

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ZWL 26.33

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 ZWL 12.83

$1.13 ₡507

-57.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.41

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

$5.18 ₡2,321

-77.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 ZWL 162

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

$2.90 ₡1,300

-59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ZWL 45.96

$3.63 ₡1,626

-52.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.48

$1.12 ₡504

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.46 ZWL 704

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-63.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

$2.14 ₡958

41.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

$1.57 ₡703

26.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 ZWL 131

$8.52 ₡3,823

-42.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 ZWL 49.42

$1.52 ₡682

22.37%

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

$21.6K ZWL 575.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.02%

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

$23.6K ZWL 629.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-31.49%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,349

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-47.34%

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

$14.72 ZWL 392

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

$53.6 ₡24.0K

10.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.95 ZWL 1,063

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-85.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 ZWL 263

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.35%

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

$150 ZWL 4,002

$494 ₡221.6K

-69.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,553 ZWL 227.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-27.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.06 ZWL 268

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-81.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.48 ZWL 252

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-82.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.80 ZWL 660

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-68.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.27 ZWL 539

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-74.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 ZWL 9,462

$788 ₡353.4K

-54.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ZWL 6,742

$794 ₡356.2K

-68.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ZWL 19.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-80.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 ZWL 10.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-72.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$246 ZWL 6,539

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-96.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 ZWL 6,566

$864 ₡387.3K

-71.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

8.62

58.82%

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

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mutare

$253 32.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 214% $541

Groceries & Markets

Mutare

$155 19.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 128% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mutare

$125 15.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.8% $61

Eating Out

Mutare

$124 15.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 70.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Mutare

$60 7.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 46.3% $28

Getting Around

Mutare

$42 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 105% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Mutare

$29 3.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 313% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $356 in Mutare 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 250% 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 $45.00 in Mutare versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $352 – making Mutare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Mutare

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

19:06 7:06 PM

8 h behind Mutare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,243

4,912

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 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 ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mutare Nosara 13,330 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mutare
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

Mutare vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,183 per month in Mutare 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 Mutare, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 175% less in Mutare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Mutare and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mutare, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mutare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mutare – 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 Mutare. 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.