Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakuru and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $645 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
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Nakuru Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$645

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $645 per month in Nakuru vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Nakuru $645
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $998 per month in Nakuru vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Nakuru $998
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,352 per month in Nakuru vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Nakuru $1,352
Nosara $3,818

Nakuru is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nakuru sits 52% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 KES 498

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.30 KES 4,577

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-42.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.33 KES 820

$7.52 ₡3,373

-15.82%

Cappuccino

$1.99 KES 257

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.88%

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

$0.40 KES 52.4

$1.74 ₡780

-77.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 KES 28.45

$1.31 ₡587

-83.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 296

$3.28 ₡1,471

-30.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 KES 341

$4.47 ₡2,004

-41.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 KES 66.6

$1.56 ₡701

-67.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.4

$3.02 ₡1,355

-84.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 KES 194

$2.51 ₡1,125

-40.24%

Eggs

$1.53 KES 199

$3.57 ₡1,603

-57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 KES 1,366

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 KES 823

$10.52 ₡4,717

-39.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.34 KES 822

$13.97 ₡6,265

-54.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 KES 432

$2.35 ₡1,052

42.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 KES 140

$1.61 ₡720

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 KES 256

$4.80 ₡2,152

-58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 KES 147

$1.61 ₡724

-29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 KES 139

$3.80 ₡1,703

-71.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 KES 137

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 KES 88.6

$1.13 ₡507

-39.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 96.5

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 KES 462

$5.18 ₡2,321

-31.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 KES 1,485

$19.88 ₡8,916

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 KES 297

$2.90 ₡1,300

-21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 KES 364

$3.63 ₡1,626

-22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 195

$2.14 ₡958

-29.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.57 ₡703

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 KES 367

$8.52 ₡3,823

-66.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$1.52 ₡682

4.61%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.27%

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

$20.3K KES 2.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.24%

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

$55.1 KES 7,143

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-42.78%

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

$15.10 KES 1,957

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.60 KES 4,615

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-33.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 KES 1,024

$7.89 ₡3,539

0.13%

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

$245 KES 31.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

-50.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K KES 1.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

4.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.81 KES 3,605

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-48.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 KES 3,814

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 KES 9,111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.6 KES 7,595

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$221 KES 28.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-71.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 KES 18.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-82.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 KES 70.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-86.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 KES 25.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-86.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Nakuru: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakuru

$198 30.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 77.7% $154

Accommodation & Living

Nakuru

$139 21.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 470% $655

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakuru

$106 16.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 75.6% $80

Eating Out

Nakuru

$93 14.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 129% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Nakuru

$84 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 43.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 453% $72

Getting Around

Nakuru

$9.4 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 827% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $221 in Nakuru 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Nakuru versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $352 – making Nakuru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

9 h behind Nakuru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,990

4,912

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 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 KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nakuru Nosara 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nakuru
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

Nakuru vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $645 in Nakuru, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $967 per month in Nakuru 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 Nakuru, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $645 in Nakuru and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $245 per month in Nakuru and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nakuru, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nakuru 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 $645 in Nakuru 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 Nakuru. 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.