Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bambous

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $537 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bambous

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $537 in Bambous.

Nosara $1,839
Bambous $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $901 in Bambous.

Nosara $2,828
Bambous $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,265 in Bambous.

Nosara $3,818
Bambous $1,265

Living in Nosara is roughly 242% more expensive than in Bambous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bambous is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.16 MUR 196

196.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$37.24 MUR 1,753

64.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.26 MUR 201

76.53%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.14 MUR 101

106.07%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.02 MUR 48.07

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.40 MUR 19.06

227.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.65 MUR 125

23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.56 MUR 73.6

186.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.15 MUR 54.1

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.72 MUR 33.68

319.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.07 MUR 50.4

134.58%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.45 MUR 115

45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.31 MUR 250

39.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.14 MUR 148

235.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.15 MUR 195

236.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.13 MUR 100

10.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.66 MUR 125

-39.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.44 MUR 67.6

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.88 MUR 136

-44.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.99 MUR 46.53

283.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.99 MUR 46.58

272.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.69 MUR 32.59

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.83 MUR 39.14

220.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.49 MUR 306

-20.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.35 MUR 393

138.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.69 MUR 79.5

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.36 MUR 111

53.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.19 MUR 197

-48.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.23 MUR 152

-51.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$21.46 MUR 1,010

-60.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.39 MUR 65.4

9.35%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-41.40%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

11.85%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$44.49 MUR 2,095

116.43%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.50 MUR 494

241.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.85 MUR 1,358

85.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.18 MUR 291

27.67%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$124 MUR 5,861

296.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,510 MUR 353.6K

57.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$77.0 MUR 3,624

-29.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-23.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$120 MUR 5,646

-35.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$76.4 MUR 3,598

4.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

6.67

29.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bambous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bambous

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bambous

$171 31.9% 51.4% $181

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bambous

$94 17.5% 55.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bambous

$84 15.6% 54.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bambous

$156 29% 29.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bambous

$12 * 2.3% 85.9% $75

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bambous

$20 * 3.8% 76.7% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $37.00 in Bambous for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $171 per month, with Bambous cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇺 Bambous

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

17:27 5:27 PM

10 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,300

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bambous 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bambous

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 Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Bambous differ by about 242% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $537 including rent). Bambous is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $805 in Bambous 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 $494 in Nosara versus $124 in Bambous. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bambous – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $537 in Bambous versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bambous 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 Bambous gentler on the wallet – expenses run 242% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.