Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Accra

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,073 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
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Accra Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Accra

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 Accra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,073 in Accra, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Accra $1,073

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,700 in Accra, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Accra $1,700

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,327 in Accra, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Accra $2,327

Nosara costs about 71% more than Accra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Accra is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$8.11 GHS 95.1

50.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$51.8 GHS 608

16.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.46 GHS 123

-27.92%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.51 GHS 52.9

-4.43%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.54 GHS 18.10

11.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.45 GHS 5.24

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.86 GHS 21.84

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.24 GHS 26.29

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.61 GHS 42.37

-56.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.59 GHS 18.64

99.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$3.19 GHS 37.42

-24.14%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.58 GHS 30.24

38.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.93 GHS 140

-37.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$7.02 GHS 82.3

48.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.91 GHS 116

37.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.69 GHS 43.24

-37.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.40 GHS 16.41

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.78 GHS 20.85

166.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.68 GHS 43.12

-54.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.64 GHS 31.00

40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.62 GHS 30.68

36.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.76 GHS 8.86

44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.59 GHS 6.97

332.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.50 GHS 29.32

98.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.33 GHS 86.0

172.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.28 GHS 14.99

117.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.29 GHS 26.89

54.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.47 GHS 17.28

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$40.26 GHS 472

79.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.72 GHS 20.23

30.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.25 GHS 14.70

24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.16 GHS 48.79

112.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.28 GHS 15.06

22.66%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$8,061 GHS 94.6K

170.46%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$9,921 GHS 116.4K

249.12%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$74.8 GHS 877

25.02%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$18.90 GHS 222

85.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$41.82 GHS 491

23.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$71.6 GHS 840

-0.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$18.07 GHS 212

96.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$12.59 GHS 148

-37.73%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$470 GHS 5,510

4.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$18.6K GHS 218.4K

-36.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$14.28 GHS 167

274.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$18.36 GHS 215

203.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$36.02 GHS 423

120.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$52.4 GHS 615

50.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$691 GHS 8,109

13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$280 GHS 3,286

178.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,092 GHS 12.8K

253.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$467 GHS 5,480

201.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,799 GHS 32.8K

149.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,424 GHS 16.7K

-15.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$175 GHS 2,048

401.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

26.75

-67.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Accra: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Accra

$280 26.2% 64.1% $500

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Accra

$277 25.9% 20.8% $73

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Accra

$172 16.1% 17.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Accra

$135 12.7% 24.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Accra

$54 5.1% 54.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Accra

$97 9% 11.1% $9.7

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Accra

$54 5.1% 37.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $691 in Accra. 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 402% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $52.0 in Accra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $277 – making Accra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇭 Accra

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

01:53 1:53 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,388,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Accra 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Accra

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 Accra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,073 in Accra – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,610 in Accra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 26% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $52.0 in Accra. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Accra, where all-in costs run around $1,073, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Accra 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 $1,073 in Accra to $1,837 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 Accra. 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.