Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Alexandra

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,074 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
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Alexandra Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Alexandra

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,074 in Alexandra, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Alexandra $1,074

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,742 in Alexandra, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Alexandra $1,742

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,409 in Alexandra, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Alexandra $2,409

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

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Alexandra is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$9.26 R 152

33.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$36.55 R 602

67.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.35 R 88.1

45.05%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.20 R 36.24

101.82%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.08 R 17.87

65.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.80 R 13.19

61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.40 R 39.58

35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.78 R 45.85

59.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.17 R 19.23

32.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.09 R 17.92

182.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.80 R 29.62

40.56%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.43 R 40.11

41.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.66 R 143

-15.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.12 R 84.3

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.12 R 117

98.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.75 R 28.80

30.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.61 R 26.53

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.72 R 28.30

178.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.63 R 26.86

0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.09 R 18.04

253.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.18 R 19.39

217.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.20 R 19.71

-9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.32 R 21.76

96.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.20 R 52.7

60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.09 R 83.9

291.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.58 R 26.08

77.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.90 R 31.36

85.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.33 R 21.94

-8.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.29 R 4.75

648.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.78 R 12.78

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$14.57 R 240

-40.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.57 R 25.92

-1.27%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.2K R 597.0K

-4.66%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.1K R 562.3K

13.52%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$155 R 2,550

-38.73%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$36.96 R 609

-2.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$38.04 R 627

39.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$33.24 R 548

121.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$10.48 R 173

239.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.50 R 124

5.47%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$244 R 4,019

100.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,468 R 90.1K

117.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$54.6 R 899

0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$32.16 R 530

73.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$93.5 R 1,540

-14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$85.1 R 1,402

-8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$394 R 6,483

103.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$332 R 5,468

137.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$844 R 13.9K

374.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$833 R 13.7K

69.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$919 R 15.1K

668.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$644 R 10.6K

91.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,775 R 29.2K

-50.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.91

-20.99%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Alexandra: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Alexandra

$332 30.9% 58% $458

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Alexandra

$194 18.1% 44.5% $156

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Alexandra

$142 13.2% 33.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Alexandra

$230 21.4% 24.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Alexandra

$119 11.1% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Alexandra

$48 4.5% 46.2% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Alexandra

$9.5 * 0.9% 89.3% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $394 in Alexandra. 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 100% higher in Alexandra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $37.00 in Alexandra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $194 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

16:43 4:43 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

179,624

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Alexandra 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Alexandra

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 Alexandra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 71% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,612 in Alexandra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandra, 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 $1,835 in Nosara and $1,074 in Alexandra. That's a gap of about 71%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $244 in Alexandra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandra, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Alexandra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandra costs $1,074 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Alexandra. 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.