Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Elmina

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Elmina $1,582

Nosara costs about 175% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Elmina is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$7.82 GHS 90.8

57.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$50.8 GHS 590

20.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$10.26 GHS 119

-26.71%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$4.46 GHS 51.7

-1.12%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.53 GHS 17.80

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.44 GHS 5.11

197.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.81 GHS 20.98

81.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$2.17 GHS 25.12

105.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$3.67 GHS 42.57

-57.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.67 GHS 19.32

80.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$3.06 GHS 35.54

-17.97%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.68 GHS 31.13

33.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$12.03 GHS 140

-38.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$7.08 GHS 82.1

48.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$9.62 GHS 112

45.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$3.61 GHS 41.82

-34.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.40 GHS 16.28

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$1.77 GHS 20.53

171.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$3.56 GHS 41.34

-54.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$2.69 GHS 31.21

41.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$2.65 GHS 30.74

39.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.72 GHS 8.32

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.60 GHS 7.01

343.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$2.51 GHS 29.12

106.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$7.06 GHS 81.9

181.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.21 GHS 14.07

139.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$2.33 GHS 27.07

55.79%

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

$1.74 GHS 20.24

22.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.26 GHS 14.61

24.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$4.30 GHS 49.87

98.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.34 GHS 15.54

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$7,913 GHS 91.8K

173.07%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$9,662 GHS 112.1K

257.26%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$73.7 GHS 855

30.65%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.07 GHS 221

88.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$42.25 GHS 490

26.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$12.66 GHS 147

-37.68%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$470 GHS 5,450

5.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.6K GHS 216.0K

-36.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$14.18 GHS 164

280.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$18.59 GHS 216

198.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$36.74 GHS 426

112.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$52.0 GHS 603

53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

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 Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 21.6% $76

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 20.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 27.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 54.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 71% $62

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 90.8% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $51.0 in Elmina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $276 – making Elmina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

34,403

💱 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 = 503 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 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Elmina 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 175%, 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 $1,001 in Elmina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. 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.