Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bissau

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

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

Nosara $1,837
Bissau $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,352 in Bissau.

Nosara $2,775
Bissau $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,868 in Bissau.

Nosara $3,712
Bissau $1,868

Living in Nosara is roughly 120% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Bissau is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

129.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

134.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

-20.63%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

146.29%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.03 F CFA 600

66.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.83 F CFA 487

62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.71 F CFA 413

356.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.70 F CFA 992

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.00 F CFA 587

217.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

19.80%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

-32.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

-49.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

-24.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

-2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

-47.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.06 F CFA 622

51.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

8.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

1006.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.42 F CFA 829

161.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.42 F CFA 830

151.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.29 F CFA 753

97.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

188.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.28 F CFA 749

117.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$0.85 F CFA 499

315.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.50 F CFA 294

138.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

182.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.48 F CFA 868

6.08%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

-31.27%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

19.71%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$105 F CFA 61.5K

-11.14%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

2.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

14.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

63.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$759 F CFA 444.1K

-35.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

412.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$528 F CFA 309.1K

48.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$171 F CFA 100.1K

355.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$867 F CFA 507.3K

345.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$429 F CFA 250.8K

228.26%

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

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

-14.82%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $528 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $26.00 in Bissau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $302 per month, with Bissau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

04:59 4:59 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Bissau 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Bissau differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $837 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Bissau. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $528 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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 Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.