Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ambatolampy

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $476 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ambatolampy
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Ambatolampy Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ambatolampy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $476 in Ambatolampy.

Nosara $1,837
Ambatolampy $476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $704 in Ambatolampy.

Nosara $2,775
Ambatolampy $704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $932 in Ambatolampy.

Nosara $3,712
Ambatolampy $932

Living in Nosara is roughly 286% more expensive than in Ambatolampy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Ambatolampy is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.68 MGA 12.0K

355.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$10.12 MGA 45.3K

494.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.68 MGA 25.4K

32.75%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.68 MGA 7,519

156.55%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.83 MGA 3,713

107.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.46 MGA 2,061

193.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.02 MGA 4,551

217.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.24 MGA 10.0K

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.87 MGA 3,870

80.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.05 MGA 4,687

201.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.78 MGA 3,482

210.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.13 MGA 9,512

67.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.75 MGA 39.1K

-15.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.47 MGA 20.0K

133.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.81 MGA 21.5K

183.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.07 MGA 4,795

116.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.54 MGA 2,435

198.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.01 MGA 4,535

369.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.82 MGA 3,667

102.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.58 MGA 2,578

541.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.95 MGA 4,265

275.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.33 MGA 1,461

233.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.72 MGA 3,240

254.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.64 MGA 7,331

201.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.20 MGA 23.2K

284.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.05 MGA 4,694

165.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.88 MGA 8,415

87.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.50 MGA 15.7K

-36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.02 MGA 9,046

-23.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.67 MGA 20.9K

89.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.86 MGA 3,858

82.56%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$12.3K MGA 55.0M

77.34%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$26.1K MGA 116.5M

32.93%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$76.2 MGA 340.4K

22.72%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$17.10 MGA 76.4K

105.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$57.5 MGA 257.2K

-10.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.74 MGA 25.7K

36.59%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$25.50 MGA 114.0K

1819.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$14.9K MGA 66.7M

-20.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$29.10 MGA 130.1K

83.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$27.59 MGA 123.3K

102.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$79.6 MGA 355.8K

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$70.1 MGA 313.5K

12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Ambatolampy: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Ambatolampy

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Ambatolampy

$144 29.6% 58.9% $206

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Ambatolampy

$73 15.1% 65% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Ambatolampy

$151 31% 16.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Ambatolampy

$93 19.1% 22.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.4% 86.8% $76

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ambatolampy

$14 * 2.8% 84.3% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $10.00 in Ambatolampy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $144 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

15:20 3:20 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,291

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD

10,000 MGA = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,470 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.24 USD). 1 EUR = 5,009 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ambatolampy 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ambatolampy

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 Ambatolampy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 286% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ambatolampy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $714 in Ambatolampy 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.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $25.50 in Ambatolampy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ambatolampy – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $476 in Ambatolampy versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ambatolampy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ambatolampy delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $476 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ambatolampy hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Ambatolampy 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 Ambatolampy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 286% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.