Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $726 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Ndola vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ndola $726
Nosara $1,839

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

Ndola $1,738
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,750 per month in Ndola vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ndola $2,750
Nosara $3,818

Ndola is about 61% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ndola sits 46% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 ZMW 110

$12.35 ₡5,539

-55.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.75 ZMW 612

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-49.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

$7.52 ₡3,373

-34.31%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

$4.41 ₡1,978

-37.64%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

$1.74 ₡780

-70.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

$1.31 ₡587

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

$3.28 ₡1,471

-60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

$4.47 ₡2,004

-50.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

$1.56 ₡701

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

$2.51 ₡1,125

-19.92%

Eggs

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

-54.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ZMW 206

$7.43 ₡3,333

39.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ZMW 129

$10.52 ₡4,717

-38.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 ZMW 128

$13.97 ₡6,265

-53.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

$2.35 ₡1,052

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

$1.61 ₡720

47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

$4.80 ₡2,152

-22.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

$1.61 ₡724

-6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

$3.80 ₡1,703

-31.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

$3.69 ₡1,657

-49.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

$2.66 ₡1,191

-76.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

$5.18 ₡2,321

-40.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.98 ZMW 198

$19.88 ₡8,916

-49.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

$2.90 ₡1,300

-51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

$3.63 ₡1,626

-37.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

$1.12 ₡504

-34.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

$2.14 ₡958

21.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

$1.57 ₡703

-6.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ZMW 102

$8.52 ₡3,823

-39.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-65.22%

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

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.61%

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

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-15.33%

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

$10.36 ZMW 206

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-71.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

$53.6 ₡24.0K

3.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 ZMW 121

$7.89 ₡3,539

-22.69%

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

$138 ZMW 2,743

$494 ₡221.6K

-72.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

38.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.72 ZMW 472

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.32 ZMW 305

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-72.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.00 ZMW 895

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-9.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZMW 3,508

$788 ₡353.4K

-77.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ZMW 3,050

$794 ₡356.2K

-80.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ZMW 7,630

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-90.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

5.91%

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)

$602 ZMW 12.0K

$864 ₡387.3K

-30.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

236.43%

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

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$224 30.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 57.2% $128

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$153 21.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 418% $641

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$147 20.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 26.1% $38

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 99.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 70.9% $50

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 577% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 616% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Ndola 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 44% 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 $31.00 in Ndola versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $352 – making Ndola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

8 h behind Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

4,912

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 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 ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ndola Nosara 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ndola
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

Ndola vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 153%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,089 per month in Ndola 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 Ndola, 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 $31.00 in Ndola 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 57% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ndola, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ndola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ndola – 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 Ndola. 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.