Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Embu

For one person, living is cheaper in Embu: $517 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Embu
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Embu Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Embu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Embu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $517 in Embu.

Nosara $1,839
Embu $517

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $822 in Embu.

Nosara $2,828
Embu $822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,127 in Embu.

Nosara $3,818
Embu $1,127

Living in Nosara is roughly 256% more expensive than in Embu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Embu is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.24 KES 809

97.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$30.87 KES 4,002

98.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.42 KES 702

38.75%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.35 KES 305

87.66%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.36 KES 46.68

383.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.24 KES 31.13

445.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.28 KES 296

43.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.63 KES 341

69.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.56 KES 72.9

178.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.52 KES 66.8

480.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.96 KES 124

161.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.71 KES 222

108.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$3.89 KES 504

91.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.21 KES 416

227.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$4.20 KES 544

232.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.34 KES 433

-29.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.05 KES 136

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.06 KES 267

133.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.41 KES 53.0

292.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.63 KES 81.5

503.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.91 KES 118

305.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.74 KES 95.8

52.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.55 KES 71.9

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.65 KES 473

41.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.48 KES 1,489

73.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.23 KES 289

30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.70 KES 350

34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.14 KES 148

-1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.51 KES 196

41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.58 KES 205

-0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.94 KES 382

189.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.60 KES 207

-5.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K KES 2.7M

1.99%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

184.00%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$57.1 KES 7,400

68.69%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.06 KES 1,952

138.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.48 KES 4,470

55.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$17.41 KES 2,257

311.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.28 KES 555

84.35%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$251 KES 32.5K

96.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.6K KES 1.6M

-5.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$9.22 KES 1,196

485.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.38 KES 3,809

88.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.3 KES 9,113

10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$15.37 KES 1,993

417.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$76.2 KES 9,876

934.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$53.1 KES 6,886

1395.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$91.6 KES 11.9K

1449.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$272 KES 35.3K

217.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.71

-41.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Embu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Embu

$53 10.3% 93.3% $741

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Embu

$148 28.6% 58% $204

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Embu

$113 22% 46.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Embu

$107 20.6% 42.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Embu

$56 10.8% 53.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Embu

$26 5% 70.3% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Embu

$14 * 2.7% 83.9% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $76.2 in Embu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 218% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $31.00 in Embu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $148 per month, with Embu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Embu

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

18:53 6:53 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

41,092

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Embu 13,640 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Embu

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 Embu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Embu differ by about 256% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $517 including rent). Embu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 218% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $76.2 in Embu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $251 in Embu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Embu – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $517 in Embu versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Embu but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Embu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Embu 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 Embu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 256% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.