Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $674 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kampala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $674 in Kampala.

Nosara $1,837
Kampala $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,045 in Kampala.

Nosara $2,775
Kampala $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,417 in Kampala.

Nosara $3,712
Kampala $1,417

Living in Nosara is roughly 173% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Kampala is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.54 UGX 10.3K

381.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$25.10 UGX 101.5K

139.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.40 UGX 29.9K

1.89%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.57 UGX 10.4K

67.70%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.38 UGX 1,543

352.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.26 UGX 1,044

419.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.21 UGX 4,910

167.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.92 UGX 7,748

133.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.76 UGX 3,069

106.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.95 UGX 3,832

233.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.33 UGX 5,360

81.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.64 UGX 6,631

117.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$4.37 UGX 17.7K

70.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.60 UGX 18.6K

126.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.87 UGX 19.7K

180.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.19 UGX 8,869

5.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.24 UGX 5,033

29.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.30 UGX 5,253

264.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.22 UGX 4,928

36.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.21 UGX 4,912

207.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.25 UGX 5,061

185.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.78 UGX 3,168

41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.50 UGX 2,020

410.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.51 UGX 10.2K

97.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

165.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.10 UGX 4,458

153.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.95 UGX 7,880

81.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.72 UGX 2,913

65.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$42.82 UGX 173.2K

68.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.51 UGX 2,072

339.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.32 UGX 1,297

384.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.19 UGX 12.9K

177.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.45 UGX 5,866

8.28%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$7,493 UGX 30.3M

191.00%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$7,453 UGX 30.1M

364.71%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$70.9 UGX 287.0K

31.73%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$11.85 UGX 47.9K

196.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$35.59 UGX 144.0K

44.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$56.9 UGX 230.2K

25.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$5.97 UGX 24.1K

493.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

3.98%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$254 UGX 1.0M

93.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$8,231 UGX 33.3M

44.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$14.16 UGX 57.3K

278.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$13.02 UGX 52.7K

328.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$32.01 UGX 129.5K

147.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$43.76 UGX 177.0K

80.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$495 UGX 2.0M

58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$172 UGX 695.0K

353.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,044 UGX 4.2M

269.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$301 UGX 1.2M

368.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,214 UGX 4.9M

474.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$983 UGX 4.0M

22.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$176 UGX 712.8K

397.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

20.75

-58.46%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kampala: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kampala

$172 24.9% 78% $608

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kampala

$149 21.6% 57.3% $200

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kampala

$86 12.4% 59% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kampala

$118 17.1% 34.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kampala

$46 6.7% 61.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kampala

$72 10.4% 17.3% $15

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kampala

$48 6.9% 45% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $495 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 397% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $25.00 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $149 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

06:11 6:11 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,045 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,537 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kampala 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kampala

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 Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 173% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 397% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $495 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 134% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Kampala versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kampala 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 Kampala 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 Kampala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.