Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Durbanville

For one person, living is cheaper in Durbanville: $1,137 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Durbanville
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Durbanville Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Durbanville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Durbanville

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,137 in Durbanville, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Durbanville $1,137

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,823 in Durbanville, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Durbanville $1,823

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,509 in Durbanville, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Durbanville $2,509

Nosara costs about 62% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Durbanville is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.90 R 196

3.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$46.88 R 772

30.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.09 R 100

23.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.45 R 40.41

80.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.92 R 15.17

89.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.63 R 10.34

107.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.34 R 38.53

40.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.65 R 43.62

68.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.39 R 22.83

12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.24 R 20.48

143.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.13 R 35.15

17.84%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.02 R 49.77

18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.81 R 145

-15.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.82 R 112

54.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.53 R 157

46.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.92 R 31.71

22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.86 R 30.70

-13.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.75 R 28.84

174.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.08 R 34.24

-22.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.56 R 25.67

143.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.52 R 25.05

142.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.34 R 22.08

-15.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.12 R 18.52

137.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.62 R 59.7

43.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.88 R 96.9

238.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.33 R 21.92

118.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.09 R 34.36

73.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.53 R 25.17

-26.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.59 R 9.66

262.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.46 R 24.13

7.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.09 R 83.9

67.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.58 R 25.97

-3.80%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.8K R 589.9K

-39.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.6K R 520.3K

9.30%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$116 R 1,913

-17.06%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$28.91 R 476

24.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$39.25 R 647

36.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.98 R 527

123.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.68 R 176

226.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.97 R 148

-12.04%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$261 R 4,305

89.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,919 R 114.0K

71.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.4 R 913

-2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$32.03 R 528

72.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$121 R 2,001

-35.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$106 R 1,752

-25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$392 R 6,461

100.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$357 R 5,887

122.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$737 R 12.1K

434.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$743 R 12.2K

91.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$876 R 14.4K

689.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$643 R 10.6K

90.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,022 R 16.8K

-15.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.97

-21.42%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Durbanville: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Durbanville

$357 31.4% 55% $437

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Durbanville

$223 19.7% 36.6% $129

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Durbanville

$166 14.6% 21.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Durbanville

$184 16.2% 0.8% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Durbanville

$142 12.5% 18.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Durbanville

$50 4.4% 42.9% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Durbanville

$14 * 1.2% 83.9% $73

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 $392 in Durbanville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Durbanville, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $47.00 in Durbanville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $223 – making Durbanville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Durbanville

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

15:29 3:29 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

40,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Durbanville 11,940 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Durbanville

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 Durbanville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 62% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,705 in Durbanville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durbanville, 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 $1,137 in Durbanville. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $261 in Durbanville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Durbanville, where all-in costs run around $1,137, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Durbanville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Durbanville costs $1,137 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Durbanville. 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.