Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Arusha

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $549 in Arusha, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Arusha $549

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $888 in Arusha, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Arusha $888

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,228 in Arusha, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Arusha $1,228

Nosara costs about 235% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Arusha is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.33 TZS 8,723

270.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

123.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

-17.54%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.70 TZS 4,443

159.41%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.92 TZS 2,421

89.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.32 TZS 851

309.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.01 TZS 2,653

224.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.80 TZS 7,336

59.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.96 TZS 2,522

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.69 TZS 1,798

337.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.74 TZS 4,554

44.25%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.75 TZS 4,573

104.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.22 TZS 5,802

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.77 TZS 2,021

109.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.49 TZS 1,272

675.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.03 TZS 2,686

258.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.85 TZS 2,229

212.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.53 TZS 4,015

238.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.93 TZS 2,444

211.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$0.92 TZS 2,417

294.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.19 TZS 503

489.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

11.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 TZS 3,259

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

236.56%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

317.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

14.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

9.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

68.23%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

53.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$285 TZS 747.5K

176.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$234 TZS 611.7K

240.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$491 TZS 1.3M

702.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$525 TZS 1.4M

170.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Arusha

$234 42.6% 70.6% $561

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Arusha

$66 * 12% 81.4% $287

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Arusha

$90 16.4% 57.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Arusha

$84 15.3% 54.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Arusha

$75 13.6% 14.4% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 99.1% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $285 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $66.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

16:41 4:41 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

617,631

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Arusha 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $549 in Arusha – roughly 235% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $823 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $549 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 235%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Arusha 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 $549 in Arusha to $1,839 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 Arusha. 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.