Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Abidjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,222 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
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Abidjan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Abidjan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Abidjan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,222 in Abidjan.

Nosara $1,837
Abidjan $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,090 in Abidjan.

Nosara $2,775
Abidjan $2,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,957 in Abidjan.

Nosara $3,712
Abidjan $2,957

Living in Nosara is roughly 50% more expensive than in Abidjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Abidjan is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.59 F CFA 1,512

371.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$67.8 F CFA 39.6K

-11.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.46 F CFA 6,113

-27.92%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

132.97%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.72 F CFA 419

138.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.76 F CFA 446

77.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.04 F CFA 610

211.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.66 F CFA 970

169.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.10 F CFA 1,229

-25.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.49 F CFA 289

546.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.14 F CFA 666

112.28%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.29 F CFA 1,339

55.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$25.21 F CFA 14.7K

-70.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.73 F CFA 3,348

81.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.00 F CFA 3,508

127.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.91 F CFA 2,285

-40.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.04 F CFA 607

54.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.09 F CFA 1,221

126.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.39 F CFA 1,396

-30.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.76 F CFA 1,031

111.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.59 F CFA 932

124.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.59 F CFA 345

86.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.86 F CFA 502

196.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.75 F CFA 1,021

182.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.22 F CFA 3,049

283.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.06 F CFA 618

163.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.16 F CFA 678

204.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.92 F CFA 535

29.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$42.81 F CFA 25.0K

68.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.67 F CFA 976

34.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.72 F CFA 1,007

-9.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$25.89 F CFA 15.1K

-65.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.51 F CFA 883

3.97%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.1K F CFA 16.4M

-22.52%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$27.0K F CFA 15.8M

28.10%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$163 F CFA 95.4K

-42.72%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$24.63 F CFA 14.4K

42.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$35.38 F CFA 20.7K

45.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$70.0 F CFA 40.9K

1.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$21.29 F CFA 12.4K

66.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.65 F CFA 5,058

-9.36%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$367 F CFA 214.6K

33.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,608 F CFA 2.7M

157.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$91.0 F CFA 53.2K

-41.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$36.71 F CFA 21.5K

51.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$76.2 F CFA 44.5K

4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$137 F CFA 80.2K

-42.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$679 F CFA 396.9K

15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$342 F CFA 200.1K

127.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,604 F CFA 1.5M

48.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,010 F CFA 590.4K

39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,189 F CFA 1.3M

218.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$675 F CFA 394.8K

77.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$215 F CFA 126.0K

306.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

15.75

-45.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Abidjan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Abidjan

$342 28.6% 56.1% $438

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Abidjan

$247 20.6% 29.3% $102

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Abidjan

$89 7.4% 57.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Abidjan

$223 18.6% 23.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Abidjan

$154 12.8% 27.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Abidjan

$87 7.3% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Abidjan

$57 4.7% 34.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $679 in Abidjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 307% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $68.0 in Abidjan. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $247, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,567,409

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Abidjan 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Abidjan

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

Nosara vs Abidjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 307% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $679 in Abidjan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abidjan – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $1,222 in Abidjan – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abidjan 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, Nosara and Abidjan 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 Abidjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.