Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between N'Djamena and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in N'Djamena: $1,086 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in N'Djamena
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N'Djamena Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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N'Djamena

🇹🇩 Chad

$1,086

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,086 in N'Djamena versus $1,837 in Nosara.

N'Djamena $1,086
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,435 in N'Djamena versus $2,775 in Nosara.

N'Djamena $1,435
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,784 in N'Djamena versus $3,712 in Nosara.

N'Djamena $1,784
Nosara $3,712

Living in N'Djamena costs roughly 41% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: N'Djamena is 19% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 FCFA 4,924

$12.22 ₡5,509

-31.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$0.89 FCFA 520

$4.31 ₡1,941

-79.35%

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

$0.83 FCFA 486

$1.72 ₡773

-51.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 FCFA 494

$1.35 ₡608

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 FCFA 740

$3.24 ₡1,459

-61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 FCFA 1,019

$4.48 ₡2,018

-61.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.55 FCFA 2,077

$1.57 ₡707

126.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 FCFA 208

$3.17 ₡1,429

-88.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 FCFA 2,049

$2.42 ₡1,091

44.63%

Eggs

$2.00 FCFA 1,171

$3.57 ₡1,609

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.51 FCFA 2,056

$7.43 ₡3,349

-52.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 FCFA 4,027

$10.42 ₡4,697

-33.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.66 FCFA 2,140

$13.66 ₡6,156

-73.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 FCFA 2,712

$2.32 ₡1,044

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 FCFA 1,227

$1.61 ₡728

30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 FCFA 1,481

$4.74 ₡2,138

-46.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 FCFA 1,412

$1.66 ₡747

45.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 FCFA 929

$3.72 ₡1,679

-57.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 FCFA 911

$3.57 ₡1,611

-56.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$1.10 ₡497

-52.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 FCFA 1,230

$2.55 ₡1,149

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.96 FCFA 564

$4.95 ₡2,232

-80.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 FCFA 4,628

$20.01 ₡9,020

-60.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 FCFA 666

$2.79 ₡1,256

-59.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 FCFA 1,029

$3.53 ₡1,589

-50.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 FCFA 262

$1.19 ₡537

-62.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 FCFA 51.0K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

20.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 FCFA 240

$2.24 ₡1,011

-81.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 262

$1.55 ₡701

-70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 FCFA 2,921

$8.86 ₡3,993

-43.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 FCFA 759

$1.57 ₡708

-17.20%

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

$11.6K FCFA 6.8M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-46.82%

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

$11.0K FCFA 6.5M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-68.15%

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

$43.48 FCFA 25.4K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-53.47%

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

$25.81 FCFA 15.1K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-26.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$436 FCFA 255.2K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

747.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.69 FCFA 15.0K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-52.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 FCFA 20.1K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-38.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.01 FCFA 25.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-45.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 FCFA 50.9K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 FCFA 1.0M

$786 ₡354.3K

120.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.5 FCFA 49.4K

$780 ₡351.6K

-89.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 FCFA 149.1K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-93.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 FCFA 99.0K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-87.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 FCFA 196.6K

$876 ₡395.0K

-61.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

8.62

-59.40%

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

Last update for N'Djamena: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

N'Djamena

$505 46.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 64.4% $325

Groceries & Markets

N'Djamena

$235 21.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 48.6% $114

Eating Out

N'Djamena

$94 * 8.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 122% $115

Getting Around

N'Djamena

$92 8.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.1% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

N'Djamena

$86 7.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 40.7% $35

Accommodation & Living

N'Djamena

$84 7.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 823% $695

Sport & Entertainment

N'Djamena

- * 0%

Nosara

$87 4.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,734 in N'Djamena and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 161% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇹🇩 N'Djamena

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

7 h behind N'Djamena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,092,066 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 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).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

N'Djamena Nosara 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

N'Djamena
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

N'Djamena vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

N'Djamena is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 161% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,734 in N'Djamena versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in N'Djamena runs roughly 21% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,086 in N'Djamena versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in N'Djamena but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes N'Djamena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, N'Djamena is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, N'Djamena 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 N'Djamena 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.