Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bhisho

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhisho: $1,136 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
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Bhisho Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bhisho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,136 in Bhisho.

Nosara $1,839
Bhisho $1,136

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,800 in Bhisho.

Nosara $2,828
Bhisho $1,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,464 in Bhisho.

Nosara $3,818
Bhisho $2,464

Living in Nosara is roughly 62% more expensive than in Bhisho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bhisho is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.77 R 177

14.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$41.53 R 684

47.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.87 R 96.7

28.11%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.05 R 33.84

115.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.01 R 16.59

72.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.77 R 12.66

70.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.75 R 45.31

19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.18 R 52.4

40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 R 18.66

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.99 R 16.34

205.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.51 R 24.92

66.23%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.81 R 46.36

27.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.66 R 143

-14.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.36 R 88.4

96.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.29 R 137

68.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.16 R 35.55

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.54 R 25.36

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.67 R 27.56

187.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.79 R 29.54

-10.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.72 R 28.35

120.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.42 R 23.42

159.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.25 R 20.58

-9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.01 R 16.70

163.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.14 R 51.7

64.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.92 R 81.1

304.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.27 R 21.00

128.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.78 R 29.40

103.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.46 R 24.02

-23.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$24.01 R 396

202.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.63 R 10.32

239.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.46 R 7.58

241.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.49 R 140

0.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.44 R 23.78

5.56%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.1K R 577.7K

-38.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.0K R 544.3K

4.48%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$123 R 2,028

-21.78%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.89 R 558

5.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$44.33 R 730

20.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.50 R 535

120.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.66 R 176

227.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.57 R 174

-25.35%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$180 R 2,959

175.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,106 R 100.6K

94.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$71.8 R 1,184

-24.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$38.18 R 629

45.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$111 R 1,831

-29.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$94.7 R 1,560

-15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$396 R 6,517

99.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$354 R 5,828

124.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$723 R 11.9K

445.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$742 R 12.2K

91.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$887 R 14.6K

679.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$641 R 10.6K

90.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,248 R 53.5K

-73.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.94

-27.81%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bhisho: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bhisho

$354 31.1% 55.5% $441

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bhisho

$197 17.3% 44.1% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bhisho

$156 13.7% 26.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bhisho

$201 17.7% 8.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bhisho

$142 12.5% 18.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bhisho

$54 4.7% 38.6% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bhisho

$33 2.9% 62.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $396 in Bhisho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays 276% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $42.00 in Bhisho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $197 per month, with Bhisho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

15:11 3:11 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

137,287

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Bhisho 12,760 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bhisho

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 Bhisho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhisho wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bhisho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 276% lower in Bhisho. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $396 in Bhisho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $180 in Bhisho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,136 in Bhisho versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bhisho but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bhisho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bhisho delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,136 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bhisho hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bhisho 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 Bhisho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.