Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Boroko

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $883 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Boroko

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $883 in Boroko, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Boroko $883

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,279 in Boroko, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Boroko $1,279

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,676 in Boroko, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Boroko $1,676

Nosara costs about 108% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Boroko is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.32 PGK 32.06

66.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$34.97 PGK 153

72.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.65 PGK 24.75

33.45%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.49 PGK 10.91

73.09%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.73 PGK 3.22

135.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.68 PGK 2.99

98.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.57 PGK 11.28

26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.60 PGK 15.78

24.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.51 PGK 6.60

3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.20 PGK 5.27

164.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.22 PGK 5.34

98.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.69 PGK 16.19

-3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$4.91 PGK 21.53

51.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.74 PGK 25.15

81.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.51 PGK 28.52

109.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.93 PGK 17.21

-40.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.13 PGK 13.74

-48.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.68 PGK 11.77

76.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.67 PGK 11.70

-37.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.84 PGK 12.45

30.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.85 PGK 3.75

320.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.13 PGK 4.94

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.43 PGK 1.87

493.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.51 PGK 24.17

-10.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$4.87 PGK 21.34

310.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.13 PGK 4.95

146.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.58 PGK 6.93

123.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.43 PGK 1.88

176.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$29.80 PGK 131

141.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$4.54 PGK 19.88

-50.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.36 PGK 5.96

13.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$11.18 PGK 49.00

-20.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.79 PGK 3.47

98.73%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$20.6K PGK 90.3K

5.86%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$17.4K PGK 76.3K

99.00%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$62.5 PGK 274

49.54%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$22.96 PGK 101

52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$90.5 PGK 396

-43.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$42.26 PGK 185

68.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$14.52 PGK 63.6

144.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.56 PGK 28.74

19.51%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$328 PGK 1,439

49.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,247 PGK 9,849

428.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$32.17 PGK 141

66.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$13.05 PGK 57.2

327.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$45.08 PGK 198

75.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$26.83 PGK 118

193.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$3,311 PGK 14.5K

-76.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$225 PGK 984

247.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$3,352 PGK 14.7K

15.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$224 PGK 982

527.79%

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

$356 PGK 1,561

146.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Boroko: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Boroko

$225 25.2% 71.2% $555

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Boroko

$211 23.6% 39.7% $139

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Boroko

$131 14.7% 37.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Boroko

$176 19.7% 2.3% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Boroko

$53 5.9% 56.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Boroko

$55 6.2% 36.4% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Boroko

$43 4.8% 50.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $3,311 in Boroko. 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 146% 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 $35.00 in Boroko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $211 – making Boroko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇬 Boroko

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

20:24 8:24 PM

16 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.204 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.204 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Boroko 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Boroko

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 Boroko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 108% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,324 in Boroko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $328 in Boroko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Boroko, where all-in costs run around $883, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Boroko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Boroko costs $883 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Boroko. 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.