Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bujumbura

For one person, living is cheaper in Bujumbura: $659 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Bujumbura
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Bujumbura Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Bujumbura

🇧🇮 Burundi

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bujumbura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $659 in Bujumbura.

Nosara $1,837
Bujumbura $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,170 in Bujumbura.

Nosara $2,775
Bujumbura $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,681 in Bujumbura.

Nosara $3,712
Bujumbura $1,681

Living in Nosara is roughly 179% more expensive than in Bujumbura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Bujumbura is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.90 BIF 11.6K

213.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$64.9 BIF 193.3K

-7.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$3.76 BIF 11.2K

100.53%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.08 BIF 9,190

39.94%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.79 BIF 5,323

-3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.38 BIF 4,099

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.23 BIF 6,656

45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$6.49 BIF 19.4K

-30.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.04 BIF 3,094

50.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.06 BIF 6,146

53.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.95 BIF 5,813

24.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.56 BIF 10.6K

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.30 BIF 24.7K

-10.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$11.40 BIF 34.0K

-8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.50 BIF 34.3K

18.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$5.81 BIF 17.3K

-60.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.07 BIF 6,156

128.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.65 BIF 4,906

0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.00 BIF 5,958

27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.13 BIF 33.2K

79.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.20 BIF 6,563

26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.12 BIF 12.3K

-14.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.05 BIF 3,131

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$30.29 BIF 90.3K

137.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$5.04 BIF 15.0K

-55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.41 BIF 10.2K

-54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$29.83 BIF 88.9K

-70.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.36 BIF 4,041

15.44%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$7.83 BIF 23.3K

348.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$68.3 BIF 203.4K

-24.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$26.83 BIF 80.0K

166.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$1.66 BIF 4,947

372.29%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$102 BIF 303.3K

380.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,953 BIF 29.7M

19.36%

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

$427 BIF 1.3M

84.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$89.7 BIF 267.2K

769.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,337 BIF 4.0M

188.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$264 BIF 785.6K

433.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,055 BIF 6.1M

239.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,616 BIF 4.8M

-25.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$374 BIF 1.1M

134.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.17

-39.17%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bujumbura: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Bujumbura

$90 13.8% 88.5% $690

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Bujumbura

$280 * 43.2% 19.8% $69

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Bujumbura

$116 17.9% 44.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Bujumbura

$76 * 11.7% 57.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Bujumbura

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bujumbura

$30 4.6% 65.4% $57

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bujumbura

$57 8.7% 34.9% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $427 in Bujumbura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 135% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $65.0 in Bujumbura. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $280, with Bujumbura cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇮 Bujumbura

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

14:25 2:25 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

658,859

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 BIF = 3.36 USD

10,000 BIF = 2.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BIF, 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).

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,980 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.36 USD). 1 EUR = 3,339 BIF (10,000 BIF = 2.99 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Bujumbura 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bujumbura

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 Bujumbura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bujumbura wins on cost – living expenses run 179% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bujumbura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 135% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $427 in Bujumbura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $659 in Bujumbura – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bujumbura runs roughly 138% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $659 in Bujumbura versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bujumbura but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bujumbura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bujumbura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $659 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bujumbura hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bujumbura 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 Bujumbura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.