Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cape Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Coast: $1,261 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Cape Coast
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Cape Coast Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cape Coast

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cape Coast

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,261 in Cape Coast, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Cape Coast $1,261

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,989 in Cape Coast, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Cape Coast $1,989

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,716 in Cape Coast, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Cape Coast $2,716

Nosara costs about 46% more than Cape Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Cape Coast is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$8.15 GHS 94.6

51.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$51.9 GHS 602

17.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$10.18 GHS 118

-26.13%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$4.45 GHS 51.6

-0.90%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.57 GHS 18.22

10.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.45 GHS 5.18

191.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.84 GHS 21.34

78.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$2.20 GHS 25.49

103.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$3.64 GHS 42.24

-57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.67 GHS 19.42

80.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$3.07 GHS 35.60

-18.24%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.55 GHS 29.60

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$12.01 GHS 139

-38.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$7.04 GHS 81.6

49.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$9.76 GHS 113

43.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.57 GHS 41.38

-34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.38 GHS 16.06

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$1.76 GHS 20.47

172.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$3.63 GHS 42.15

-55.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$2.77 GHS 32.14

37.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$2.74 GHS 31.73

34.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.69 GHS 8.04

63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.60 GHS 6.98

343.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$2.50 GHS 29.06

107.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$7.32 GHS 84.9

171.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.28 GHS 14.82

126.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$2.38 GHS 27.64

52.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$1.73 GHS 20.01

23.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.25 GHS 14.46

25.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$4.26 GHS 49.42

100.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.29 GHS 14.94

17.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$7,862 GHS 91.2K

174.84%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$9,880 GHS 114.6K

249.37%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$73.2 GHS 849

31.62%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.55 GHS 227

83.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$43.07 GHS 500

24.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$12.92 GHS 150

-38.93%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$466 GHS 5,407

6.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.7K GHS 217.1K

-36.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$14.04 GHS 163

284.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$18.28 GHS 212

203.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$36.79 GHS 427

111.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$53.0 GHS 615

50.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$608 GHS 7,058

29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$589 GHS 6,831

34.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,230 GHS 14.3K

220.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$1,119 GHS 13.0K

26.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

26.75

-67.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Coast: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cape Coast

$589 46.7% 25.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cape Coast

$277 22% 21.3% $75

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cape Coast

$171 13.5% 19.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cape Coast

$136 10.8% 26.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cape Coast

$55 4.4% 54.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cape Coast

$26 * 2.1% 70.4% $62

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cape Coast

$8 * 0.6% 90.9% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $608 in Cape Coast. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $52.0 in Cape Coast. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $277 – making Cape Coast the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇭 Cape Coast

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

155,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cape Coast 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cape Coast

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 Cape Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,892 in Cape Coast. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Coast, 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 $1,839 in Nosara and $1,261 in Cape Coast. That's a gap of about 46%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $466 in Cape Coast. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cape Coast, where all-in costs run around $1,261, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cape Coast it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Coast – 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 Cape Coast. 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.