Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
Learn more

Bulawayo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bulawayo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $763 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Bulawayo $763

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,192 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Bulawayo $1,192

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,622 in Bulawayo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Bulawayo $1,622

Nosara costs about 141% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Bulawayo is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.58 ZWL 122

166.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$30.29 ZWL 809

98.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.89 ZWL 131

54.19%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

106.22%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

230.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

264.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

120.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

120.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

-5.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

213.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

56.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

86.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.59 ZWL 256

-22.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.02 ZWL 107

159.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.46 ZWL 119

206.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

25.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

95.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

59.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

190.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

156.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

240.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

221.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.10 ZWL 136

292.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

106.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

90.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$30.55 ZWL 816

135.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.04 ZWL 135

75.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

-4.27%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

-11.27%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

40.67%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

-1.98%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$17.21 ZWL 460

104.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$105 ZWL 2,816

-51.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$31.62 ZWL 845

125.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$20.07 ZWL 536

76.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.86 ZWL 263

-20.49%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$231 ZWL 6,175

111.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

238.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$20.96 ZWL 560

155.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$11.58 ZWL 309

381.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

73.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$176 ZWL 4,695

347.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$107 ZWL 2,863

627.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$414 ZWL 11.1K

831.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$325 ZWL 8,679

333.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

239.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

-41.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$306 ZWL 8,161

186.80%

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 Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Bulawayo

$107 14.2% 86.3% $673

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Bulawayo

$177 23.5% 49.3% $172

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 56.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 21.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Bulawayo

$61 8.1% 49.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 41% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bulawayo

$46 6.2% 46.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $176 in Bulawayo. 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 187% 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 $30.00 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $177 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

653,337

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, 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).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.96 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bulawayo 12,910 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bulawayo

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 Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 141%, 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 $1,144 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulawayo, 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 $763 in Bulawayo. That's a gap of about 141%.

Public transport costs about 136% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $763, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – 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 Bulawayo. 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.