Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Butare

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $368 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
Learn more

Butare Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Butare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $368 in Butare.

Nosara $1,837
Butare $368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $581 in Butare.

Nosara $2,775
Butare $581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $795 in Butare.

Nosara $3,712
Butare $795

Living in Nosara is roughly 400% more expensive than in Butare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Butare is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.73 RWF 4,020

347.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$30.92 RWF 45.5K

94.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.65 RWF 9,779

13.38%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.45 RWF 3,594

75.92%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.76 RWF 1,112

126.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.58 RWF 850

132.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.04 RWF 1,532

211.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.38 RWF 3,505

88.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.33 RWF 485

375.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.82 RWF 1,208

286.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.92 RWF 1,357

163.04%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.66 RWF 2,438

115.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$1.65 RWF 2,420

350.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.35 RWF 3,455

343.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$3.01 RWF 4,421

353.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.08 RWF 3,059

11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.81 RWF 1,196

98.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.17 RWF 1,726

305.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.79 RWF 1,155

110.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.43 RWF 630

765.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.26 RWF 378

1273.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.12 RWF 179

816.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.82 RWF 1,201

210.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.99 RWF 2,923

148.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.21 RWF 15.0K

95.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.03 RWF 1,515

170.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.57 RWF 2,314

124.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.69 RWF 3,958

-16.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.00 RWF 2,936

-22.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.34 RWF 4,911

165.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.81 RWF 2,663

-13.26%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$26.6K RWF 39.0M

-17.89%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.2K RWF 43.0M

18.42%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$82.4 RWF 121.1K

13.41%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$7.20 RWF 10.6K

387.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$20.81 RWF 30.6K

147.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.43 RWF 5,036

128.57%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$113 RWF 166.0K

333.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,518 RWF 14.0M

24.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$17.04 RWF 25.1K

214.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$15.65 RWF 23.0K

256.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$22.66 RWF 33.3K

249.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$34.40 RWF 50.6K

129.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.2

-46.79%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Butare: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Butare

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Butare

$112 30.4% 67.9% $237

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Butare

$86 23.4% 58.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Butare

$110 29.9% 38.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Butare

$40 10.9% 66.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Butare

$6.9 * 1.9% 92.1% $80

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Butare

$13 * 3.4% 85.4% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $31.00 in Butare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $112 per month, with Butare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇼 Butare

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

07:02 7:02 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

62,823

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,649 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Butare 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Butare

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 Butare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 400% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,756 in Nosara and $552 in Butare 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 211% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $368 in Butare – a 400% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $368 in Butare versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Butare delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Butare hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Butare 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 Butare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 400% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.