Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,060 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,060 in Howick.

Nosara $1,839
Howick $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,654 in Howick.

Nosara $2,828
Howick $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,248 in Howick.

Nosara $3,818
Howick $2,248

Living in Nosara is roughly 74% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Howick is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.59 R 125

62.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$39.02 R 643

56.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.36 R 88.3

40.30%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.70 R 44.48

63.33%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.11 R 18.34

56.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.83 R 13.71

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.36 R 38.83

38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.61 R 42.93

71.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.23 R 20.28

26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.97 R 16.06

211.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.48 R 24.32

69.59%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.32 R 38.24

53.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.08 R 133

-8.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.04 R 83.1

108.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.25 R 119

92.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.94 R 32.00

21.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.85 R 30.55

-12.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.90 R 31.33

152.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.63 R 26.89

-1.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.48 R 24.36

156.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.45 R 23.88

154.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.16 R 19.16

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.19 R 19.66

123.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.68 R 60.7

40.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.72 R 77.8

321.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.45 R 23.93

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.84 R 30.30

97.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.47 R 24.20

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.43 R 7.17

397.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.69 R 11.43

127.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.48 R 123

13.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.41 R 23.18

7.80%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.0K R 576.3K

-38.22%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.0K R 510.4K

11.43%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$148 R 2,434

-34.83%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.79 R 244

142.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$39.50 R 651

35.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.28 R 532

121.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.64 R 175

228.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.20 R 119

9.58%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$307 R 5,053

61.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,495 R 123.5K

58.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.1 R 875

1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.21 R 498

83.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$97.5 R 1,606

-20.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$82.1 R 1,353

-3.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$387 R 6,368

103.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$357 R 5,883

122.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$737 R 12.1K

434.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$734 R 12.1K

93.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$863 R 14.2K

701.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$664 R 10.9K

84.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.78

-26.83%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Howick

$357 33.7% 55% $437

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Howick

$192 18.1% 45.6% $161

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Howick

$134 12.6% 36.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Howick

$202 19.1% 8.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Howick

$118 11.2% 1.5% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Howick

$47 4.4% 46.6% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Howick

$9.8 * 0.9% 88.8% $77

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 $387 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $39.00 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $192 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,453

💱 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 Howick 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,589 in Howick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $387 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $307 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,060 in Howick versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Howick but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Howick the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Howick is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Howick 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 Howick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.