Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $874 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$874

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $874 per month in Nairobi vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Nairobi $874
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,403 per month in Nairobi vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Nairobi $1,403
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,932 per month in Nairobi vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Nairobi $1,932
Nosara $3,712

Nairobi is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nairobi sits 35% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 KES 794

$12.22 ₡5,509

-49.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.26 KES 4,574

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-41.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 KES 854

$7.54 ₡3,399

-12.60%

Cappuccino

$2.71 KES 351

$4.31 ₡1,941

-37.12%

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

$0.66 KES 85.4

$1.72 ₡773

-61.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 KES 73.9

$1.35 ₡608

-57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 KES 302

$3.24 ₡1,459

-28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 KES 357

$4.48 ₡2,018

-38.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 KES 116

$1.57 ₡707

-43.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 69.9

$3.17 ₡1,429

-82.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 KES 252

$2.42 ₡1,091

-19.83%

Eggs

$1.71 KES 222

$3.57 ₡1,609

-52.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 KES 1,378

$7.43 ₡3,349

43.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 KES 824

$10.42 ₡4,697

-39.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.22 KES 807

$13.66 ₡6,156

-54.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 KES 428

$2.32 ₡1,044

42.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 KES 137

$1.61 ₡728

-34.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 KES 265

$4.74 ₡2,138

-56.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 142

$1.66 ₡747

-33.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 KES 145

$3.72 ₡1,679

-69.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$3.57 ₡1,611

-69.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 95.3

$1.10 ₡497

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 KES 100

$2.55 ₡1,149

-69.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 KES 469

$4.95 ₡2,232

-26.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 KES 1,486

$20.01 ₡9,020

-42.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.79 ₡1,256

-18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 KES 349

$3.53 ₡1,589

-23.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 KES 102

$1.19 ₡537

-33.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.51 KES 5,902

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-36.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$2.24 ₡1,011

-32.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.55 ₡701

1.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 KES 364

$8.86 ₡3,993

-68.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 KES 203

$1.57 ₡708

-0.64%

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

$21.8K KES 2.8M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-0.12%

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

$19.9K KES 2.6M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-42.42%

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

$56.9 KES 7,375

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-39.15%

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

$15.35 KES 1,991

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-56.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.18 KES 4,563

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-31.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.39 KES 6,406

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-30.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.39 KES 1,996

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-56.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 KES 1,016

$7.84 ₡3,535

-0.13%

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

$250 KES 32.4K

$490 ₡220.7K

-48.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K KES 1.6M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

5.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 KES 3,594

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-48.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.64 KES 3,714

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-48.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,911

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-13.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 KES 7,638

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-25.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 KES 58.8K

$786 ₡354.3K

-42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 KES 28.2K

$780 ₡351.6K

-72.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 KES 143.4K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-71.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 KES 65.8K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-63.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,292 KES 167.6K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-81.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$897 KES 116.3K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-25.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$481 KES 62.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

-45.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

8.62

70.65%

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

Last update for Nairobi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nairobi

$217 25.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 259% $562

Groceries & Markets

Nairobi

$205 23.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 70.3% $144

Eating Out

Nairobi

$123 14.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 69.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nairobi

$107 12.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 67.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nairobi

$83 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 45.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nairobi

$65 7.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.8% $22

Getting Around

Nairobi

$58 6.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 49.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Nairobi 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 82% 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 $35.00 in Nairobi versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $350 – making Nairobi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

9 h behind Nairobi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,138,295 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nairobi Nosara 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nairobi
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

Nairobi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 110% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,311 per month in Nairobi and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nairobi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Nairobi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $250 per month in Nairobi and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nairobi, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Nairobi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nairobi costs $874 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nairobi. 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.