Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Isiolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Isiolo: $544 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Isiolo
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Isiolo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Isiolo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Isiolo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $544 in Isiolo.

Nosara $1,835
Isiolo $544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $891 in Isiolo.

Nosara $2,825
Isiolo $891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $1,239 in Isiolo.

Nosara $3,814
Isiolo $1,239

Living in Nosara is roughly 237% more expensive than in Isiolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Isiolo is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.25 KES 811

97.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$35.04 KES 4,543

75.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.40 KES 829

21.25%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.69 KES 349

65.06%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.66 KES 84.9

171.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.56 KES 73.0

130.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.29 KES 297

41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.64 KES 342

67.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.89 KES 116

74.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.57 KES 73.4

440.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.91 KES 248

32.46%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.68 KES 218

105.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.78 KES 1,398

-32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.48 KES 840

58.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.22 KES 807

126.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.30 KES 427

-30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.05 KES 136

56.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.03 KES 263

135.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.15 KES 149

42.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.12 KES 145

243.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.08 KES 140

247.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.73 KES 94.9

49.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.75 KES 96.7

245.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.52 KES 457

45.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$11.43 KES 1,482

74.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.32 KES 300

20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.69 KES 349

30.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.52 KES 197

42.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.52 KES 197

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$2.86 KES 371

203.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.61 KES 209

-3.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.8K KES 2.8M

58.30%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$20.2K KES 2.6M

91.86%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$56.5 KES 7,319

67.97%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$14.95 KES 1,939

141.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$34.44 KES 4,465

54.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.75 KES 1,004

2.06%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$249 KES 32.3K

96.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.4K KES 1.6M

-4.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$27.88 KES 3,615

96.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$29.53 KES 3,829

89.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$71.4 KES 9,256

12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.6 KES 7,592

32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$777 KES 100.7K

14.15%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Isiolo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Isiolo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Isiolo

$206 37.9% 41% $143

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Isiolo

$123 22.6% 42.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Isiolo

$106 19.5% 42.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Isiolo

$84 15.5% 30.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Isiolo

$15 * 2.9% 82.7% $74

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Isiolo

$9.1 * 1.7% 89.7% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 14% 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 $35.00 in Isiolo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $206 per month, with Isiolo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Isiolo

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

13:54 1:54 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

45,989

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Isiolo 13,630 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Isiolo

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 Isiolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isiolo wins on cost – living expenses run 237% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Isiolo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $544 in Isiolo – a 237% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $544 in Isiolo versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isiolo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Isiolo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Isiolo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $544 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Isiolo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Isiolo 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 Isiolo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 237% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.