Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,377 in Centurion.

Nosara $1,839
Centurion $1,377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,224 in Centurion.

Nosara $2,828
Centurion $2,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,071 in Centurion.

Nosara $3,818
Centurion $3,071

Living in Nosara is roughly 33% more expensive than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Centurion 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.13 R 365

-44.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$40.73 R 671

50.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.76 R 95.0

30.56%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.57 R 42.33

71.60%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.94 R 15.52

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.87 R 14.35

50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.10 R 34.57

56.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.45 R 40.42

82.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.23 R 20.27

26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.22 R 20.11

147.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.17 R 35.83

15.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.07 R 50.6

16.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.79 R 161

-24.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.92 R 114

52.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.29 R 120

91.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.82 R 29.92

29.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.80 R 29.64

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.12 R 34.88

126.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.08 R 34.20

-22.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.52 R 24.98

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.85 R 30.44

99.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.35 R 22.24

-16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.46 R 23.99

82.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.77 R 62.1

37.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.90 R 97.1

236.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.59 R 26.20

82.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.02 R 33.27

79.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.47 R 40.75

-54.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$97.9 R 1,613

-25.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.22 R 20.14

75.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.23 R 20.20

27.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.89 R 146

-4.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.50 R 24.75

1.33%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.9K R 591.7K

-39.83%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.1K R 528.7K

7.56%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$137 R 2,260

-29.82%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$30.65 R 505

17.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$40.07 R 660

33.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$43.79 R 721

63.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.73 R 177

-26.47%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$314 R 5,174

57.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,299 R 70.8K

175.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$58.5 R 965

-7.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$43.75 R 721

26.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$117 R 1,925

-33.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$103 R 1,699

-22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$345 R 5,689

128.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$371 R 6,115

113.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$575 R 9,479

584.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$896 R 14.8K

58.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$518 R 8,536

1234.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$612 R 10.1K

100.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,342 R 38.6K

-63.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.5

-17.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Centurion

$371 27% 53.3% $423

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Centurion

$225 16.3% 36.1% $127

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Centurion

$248 18% 17% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Centurion

$208 15.1% 11.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Centurion

$145 10.5% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Centurion

$65 4.7% 25.3% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Centurion

$115 8.4% 32.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $345 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 171% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $41.00 in Centurion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $225 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

236,580

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Centurion 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 171% lower in Centurion. 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 $345 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 35% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $314 in Centurion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,377 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Centurion 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 Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.