Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,493 in Ningi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ningi
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Ningi Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ningi

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,493

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,493 in Ningi versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Ningi $2,493
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,673 in Ningi versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Ningi $3,673
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,853 in Ningi versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Ningi $4,853
Nosara $3,818

Living in Ningi is roughly 36% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ningi 85% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.50 A$29.37

$12.35 ₡5,556

65.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.1 A$100

$61.2 ₡27.5K

14.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.99 A$10.01

$7.52 ₡3,383

-7.05%

Cappuccino

$2.59 A$3.71

$4.41 ₡1,984

-41.27%

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

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.74 ₡782

32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.53

$1.31 ₡589

87.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 A$10.70

$3.28 ₡1,475

127.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.27

$4.47 ₡2,010

76.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.56 ₡703

-4.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.75

$3.02 ₡1,359

-13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.42

$2.51 ₡1,129

-4.78%

Eggs

$4.79 A$6.86

$3.57 ₡1,608

34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 A$12.43

$7.43 ₡3,344

16.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.70

$10.52 ₡4,732

-9.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 A$21.03

$13.97 ₡6,284

5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.66

$2.35 ₡1,055

68.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.54

$1.61 ₡722

96.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.90

$4.80 ₡2,159

-28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 A$5.99

$1.61 ₡726

159.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$3.80 ₡1,708

-33.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.51

$3.69 ₡1,662

-33.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.64

$1.13 ₡508

124.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.22

$2.66 ₡1,195

-41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.60 A$63.9

$5.18 ₡2,328

761.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.40 A$20.63

$19.88 ₡8,944

-27.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.90 A$8.46

$2.90 ₡1,304

103.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.71

$3.63 ₡1,631

86.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 A$3.69

$1.12 ₡506

130.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.2 A$119

$72.6 ₡32.7K

14.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 A$3.16

$2.14 ₡961

2.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.34

$1.57 ₡706

4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.63 A$51.0

$8.52 ₡3,835

318.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.52 ₡684

-11.18%

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

$27.0K A$38.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

24.80%

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

$33.3K A$47.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.66%

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

$221 A$316

$96.3 ₡43.3K

129.13%

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

$30.72 A$44.01

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-14.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 A$75.9

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-1.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 A$72.2

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-29.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 A$24.77

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.11 A$20.21

$7.89 ₡3,550

78.83%

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

$2,119 A$3,035

$494 ₡222.3K

328.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K A$16.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-1.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 A$108

$53.9 ₡24.3K

39.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.7

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-3.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$146

$77.9 ₡35.1K

30.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$171

$79.6 ₡35.8K

50.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 A$1,697

$788 ₡354.5K

50.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 A$1,699

$794 ₡357.3K

49.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 A$3,003

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-46.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 A$2,869

$1,419 ₡638.4K

41.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,879 A$8,422

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-14.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,605 A$8,030

$1,224 ₡550.7K

357.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

8.62

-33.99%

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

Last update for Ningi: 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

Ningi

$1.2K 47.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 33% $392

Groceries & Markets

Ningi

$374 15%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ningi

$304 12.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39% $119

Eating Out

Ningi

$288 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 26.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Ningi

$158 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23.8% $37

Getting Around

Ningi

$104 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 16.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ningi

$79 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,185 in Ningi and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Ningi vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ningi

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

13:06 1:06 PM

16 h behind Ningi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ningi Nosara 13,600 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ningi
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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

Ningi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningi and Nosara differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,493 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,739 in Ningi and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,185 in Ningi versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $70.0 in Ningi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,493 per month in Ningi versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,493 in Ningi, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Ningi. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ningi 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Ningi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.