Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Busselton

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,623 in Busselton, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Busselton
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Busselton Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Busselton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Busselton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,623 in Busselton.

Nosara $1,839
Busselton $2,623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,698 in Busselton.

Nosara $2,828
Busselton $3,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,773 in Busselton.

Nosara $3,818
Busselton $4,773

Living in Nosara costs roughly 30% less than in Busselton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Busselton 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,556

$17.42 A$24.95

-29.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$84.1 A$120

-27.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,383

$10.59 A$15.17

-28.99%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,984

$4.42 A$6.33

-0.23%

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

$1.74 ₡782

$2.06 A$2.95

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡589

$2.03 A$2.91

-35.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,475

$8.49 A$12.16

-61.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,010

$8.15 A$11.68

-45.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡703

$1.72 A$2.46

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,359

$3.11 A$4.45

-2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,129

$2.04 A$2.92

23.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,608

$5.14 A$7.36

-30.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,344

$9.23 A$13.22

-19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,732

$9.18 A$13.16

14.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,284

$13.90 A$19.92

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$4.57 A$6.54

-48.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡722

$3.08 A$4.41

-47.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,159

$3.31 A$4.74

45.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$4.94 A$7.07

-67.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,708

$2.90 A$4.15

31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,662

$1.97 A$2.82

87.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$2.28 A$3.27

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$1.37 A$1.96

94.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,328

$41.72 A$59.8

-87.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,944

$12.65 A$18.12

57.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,304

$4.35 A$6.24

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,631

$3.38 A$4.85

7.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡506

$2.48 A$3.55

-54.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

$82.6 A$118

-12.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡961

$3.55 A$5.09

-39.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.38 A$1.98

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,835

$41.16 A$59.0

-79.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡684

$1.40 A$2.01

8.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.7K A$39.7K

-22.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.6K A$42.4K

16.52%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$195 A$279

-50.53%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.93 A$47.18

8.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$64.4 A$92.2

-16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$49.68 A$71.2

44.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.07 A$23.02

117.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,550

$17.71 A$25.37

-55.45%

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

$494 ₡222.3K

$2,274 A$3,258

-78.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$23.1K A$33.0K

-48.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$78.8 A$113

-31.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$64.5 A$92.4

-14.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.1K

$120 A$172

-35.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$162 A$232

-50.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.5K

$1,247 A$1,786

-36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡357.3K

$1,288 A$1,846

-38.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,204 A$3,158

78.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡638.4K

$1,776 A$2,544

-20.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,785 A$8,287

19.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.7K

$4,348 A$6,228

-71.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

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 Busselton: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Busselton

$1.3K 49.1% 62.2% $494

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Busselton

$364 13.9% 3.2% $11

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Busselton

$299 11.4% 41.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Busselton

$292 11.1% 57.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Busselton

$192 7.3% 59.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Busselton

$85 3.2% 2.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Busselton

$103 3.9% 18.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,247 in Busselton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $84.0 in Busselton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $364 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Busselton

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

03:07 3:07 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

27,233

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Busselton 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Busselton

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 Busselton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Busselton differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $2,623 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $3,934 in Busselton to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,247 in Busselton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $2,274 in Busselton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Busselton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,623 in Busselton, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Busselton. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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 Busselton 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 43% less than in Busselton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.