Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Banjul

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjul: $674 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Banjul
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Banjul Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Banjul

🇬🇲 Gambia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Banjul

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $674 in Banjul, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Banjul $674

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,184 in Banjul, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Banjul $1,184

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,695 in Banjul, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Banjul $1,695

Nosara costs about 173% more than Banjul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Banjul is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.29 GMD 532

67.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$73.0 GMD 5,328

-17.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.91 GMD 578

-4.68%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.76 GMD 274

14.63%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.66 GMD 194

-35.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.54 GMD 112

-12.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.45 GMD 398

-40.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.44 GMD 324

0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.38 GMD 101

13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.64 GMD 46.87

395.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.29 GMD 94.5

87.60%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.97 GMD 144

81.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.16 GMD 450

20.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.63 GMD 192

296.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$5.45 GMD 398

150.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.06 GMD 150

12.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.22 GMD 88.7

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.76 GMD 128

169.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.32 GMD 96.7

25.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.88 GMD 64.4

322.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.00 GMD 73.0

257.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.25 GMD 18.31

340.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.61 GMD 44.59

318.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.66 GMD 122

198.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.29 GMD 459

218.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.53 GMD 111

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.69 GMD 123

108.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.19 GMD 13.59

526.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$6.40 GMD 468

1026.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.71 GMD 51.7

118.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.12 GMD 301

115.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.08 GMD 79.1

45.37%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$2,616 GMD 191.0K

733.43%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$3,205 GMD 233.9K

980.80%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$30.89 GMD 2,255

202.53%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.21 GMD 1,038

147.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$45.37 GMD 3,312

13.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$23.56 GMD 1,720

203.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$13.61 GMD 994

160.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.37 GMD 246

132.64%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$6.59 GMD 481

7327.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$136 GMD 9,921

8641.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$55.2 GMD 4,029

-3.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$43.48 GMD 3,174

28.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$99.0 GMD 7,228

-19.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$85.6 GMD 6,251

-7.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$101 GMD 7,347

680.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$81.2 GMD 5,924

861.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$213 GMD 15.6K

1708.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$138 GMD 10.1K

921.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,438 GMD 104.9K

384.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,160 GMD 84.7K

3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$60.6 GMD 4,426

1345.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.53%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Banjul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Banjul

$81 12.1% 89.6% $699

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Banjul

$149 22.3% 57.4% $200

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Banjul

$180 26.9% 14% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Banjul

$90 13.5% 49.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Banjul

$127 19.1% 5.9% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Banjul

$30 4.5% 65.2% $57

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Banjul

$11 * 1.6% 87.7% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $101 in Banjul. 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 1345% 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 $73.0 in Banjul. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $149 in Banjul – so Banjul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇲 Banjul

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

31,356 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 GMD = 1.37 USD

100 GMD = 1.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GMD, 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).

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 73 GMD (100 GMD = 1.37 USD). 1 EUR = 81.88 GMD (100 GMD = 1.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Banjul 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Banjul

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 Banjul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 173%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,010 in Banjul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Banjul, 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 $1,837 in Nosara and $674 in Banjul. That's a gap of about 173%.

Public transport costs about 1026% less in Banjul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banjul, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Banjul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banjul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Banjul. 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.