Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bunbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,181 in Bunbury, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Bunbury
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Bunbury Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bunbury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bunbury

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,181 in Bunbury.

Nosara $1,839
Bunbury $2,181

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,382 in Bunbury.

Nosara $2,828
Bunbury $3,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,582 in Bunbury.

Nosara $3,818
Bunbury $4,582

Living in Nosara costs roughly 16% less than in Bunbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Bunbury 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.48 A$29.47

-39.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$85.2 A$123

-28.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.82 A$15.57

-30.50%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.23 A$6.08

4.26%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.89 A$4.16

-39.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.19 A$3.15

-40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.37 A$12.05

-60.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$8.39 A$12.08

-46.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.07 A$1.55

45.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.12 A$1.61

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.97 A$2.83

27.41%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.12 A$7.37

-30.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.34 A$13.45

-20.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.25 A$11.86

27.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.46 A$12.18

65.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.71 A$5.35

-36.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.25 A$4.67

-50.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.83 A$4.07

69.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.79 A$6.89

-66.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.71 A$3.90

40.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.90 A$2.73

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.77 A$2.54

-36.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.83 A$1.19

220.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$26.22 A$37.73

-80.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.78 A$9.75

193.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.39 A$6.32

-33.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.52 A$5.06

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.79 A$4.02

-59.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$55.8 A$80.4

30.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.63 A$5.22

-41.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.43 A$2.06

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$34.44 A$49.56

-75.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.17 A$1.69

29.91%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K A$30.2K

2.85%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.7K A$27.0K

84.17%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$162 A$232

-40.40%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.73 A$48.53

6.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$64.5 A$92.8

-16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$56.1 A$80.7

27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.38 A$14.93

236.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$14.18 A$20.40

-44.36%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,300 A$3,310

-78.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$23.0K A$33.0K

-48.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$78.0 A$112

-30.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$63.9 A$91.9

-13.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$122 A$176

-36.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$93.3 A$134

-14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$979 A$1,408

-19.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$982 A$1,413

-19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,817 A$2,614

116.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,842 A$2,650

-22.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,913 A$7,070

40.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,961 A$5,701

-69.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$4,606 A$6,628

-81.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.91

45.85%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bunbury: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bunbury

$982 45% 23.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bunbury

$290 13.3% 17.8% $63

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bunbury

$326 15% 53.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bunbury

$260 11.9% 39.8% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bunbury

$161 7.4% 33.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bunbury

$84 3.9% 3.4% $3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bunbury

$78 3.6% 10.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $979 in Bunbury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays 433% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $85.0 in Bunbury. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $290, with Bunbury cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Bunbury

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

75,196

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bunbury 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bunbury

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 Bunbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 433% lower in Bunbury. 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 $979 in Bunbury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $2,300 in Bunbury. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bunbury pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,181 in Bunbury, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bunbury. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bunbury, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Bunbury 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Bunbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.