Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Freetown

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Freetown: $1,837 and $1,818 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Freetown
Learn more

Freetown Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Freetown

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,818 in Freetown, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Freetown $1,818

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,527 in Freetown, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Freetown $1,527

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,235 in Freetown, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Freetown $1,235

Nosara costs about 1% more than Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Freetown sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Freetown by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.05 SLL 46.9K

496.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$40.07 SLL 915.6K

50.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.02 SLL 251.7K

-31.58%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.82 SLL 64.5K

52.84%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.88 SLL 42.9K

-8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.87 SLL 19.8K

55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.30 SLL 52.5K

40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.47 SLL 79.3K

29.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.49 SLL 56.9K

-36.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.65 SLL 14.7K

387.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.33 SLL 30.3K

81.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.80 SLL 41.0K

98.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.99 SLL 159.7K

6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$10.13 SLL 231.4K

2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$5.34 SLL 122.0K

155.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$7.05 SLL 161.1K

-67.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.95 SLL 67.3K

-45.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.69 SLL 15.8K

586.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.90 SLL 112.0K

-66.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.05 SLL 46.7K

81.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.67 SLL 38.1K

113.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.15 SLL 26.3K

121.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.06 SLL 69.9K

61.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.83 SLL 179.0K

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.60 SLL 36.7K

74.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.93 SLL 44.2K

82.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.45 SLL 10.3K

164.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.52 SLL 12.0K

330.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.49 SLL 11.2K

216.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.34 SLL 30.7K

17.16%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$12.1K SLL 276.2M

80.36%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$25.0K SLL 571.5M

38.48%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$58.9 SLL 1.3M

58.63%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.88 SLL 225.8K

255.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$54.4 SLL 1.2M

-5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$9.90 SLL 226.2K

440.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$19.77 SLL 451.7K

300.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$49.66 SLL 1.1M

58.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$919 SLL 21.0M

-14.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,253 SLL 28.6M

-37.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$3,520 SLL 80.4M

9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,349 SLL 30.8M

-35.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Freetown

$1.3K 69.9% 60.7% $473

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Freetown

$263 * 14.7% 24.9% $87

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Freetown

$113 6.3% 46.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Freetown

$123 6.9% 31.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Freetown

$36 * 2% 70.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Freetown

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Freetown

$4.8 * 0.3% 94.5% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $919 in Freetown. 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 54% higher in Freetown, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $40.00 in Freetown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $263 – making Freetown the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,848 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,603 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.91 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Freetown 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Freetown

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 Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,818 in Freetown – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,728 in Freetown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Freetown, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $40.00 in Freetown. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $1,818 in Freetown. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Freetown, where all-in costs run around $1,818, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Freetown it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,818 in Freetown to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Freetown. 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.