Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kempton Park

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempton Park: $1,209 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kempton Park

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,209 in Kempton Park.

Nosara $1,839
Kempton Park $1,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,854 in Kempton Park.

Nosara $2,828
Kempton Park $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,498 in Kempton Park.

Nosara $3,818
Kempton Park $2,498

Living in Nosara is roughly 52% more expensive than in Kempton Park, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Kempton Park is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.85 R 146

39.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$36.72 R 605

66.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.84 R 96.1

28.77%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.39 R 39.33

84.52%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.08 R 17.80

61.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.83 R 13.70

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.38 R 39.19

37.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.74 R 45.08

63.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.28 R 21.17

21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.08 R 17.78

179.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.77 R 29.09

41.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.49 R 41.09

43.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.60 R 142

-13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.21 R 85.8

101.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.76 R 144

59.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.85 R 30.44

27.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.64 R 27.06

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.78 R 29.39

169.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.04 R 33.58

-21.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.64 R 27.01

131.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.65 R 27.21

123.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.22 R 20.07

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.26 R 20.80

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.22 R 53.1

60.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.32 R 87.7

273.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.62 R 26.68

79.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.38 R 39.24

52.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.53 R 25.21

-26.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$60.5 R 997

20.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.29 R 4.76

637.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.82 R 13.43

91.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.67 R 242

-41.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.48 R 24.41

2.70%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.7K R 571.6K

-37.72%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.6K R 521.1K

9.14%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$180 R 2,959

-46.39%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$38.44 R 633

-6.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.30 R 598

47.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.47 R 617

91.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.58 R 174

229.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.02 R 132

-1.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$256 R 4,218

93.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,474 R 90.2K

116.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.8 R 870

2.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.58 R 520

75.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$91.2 R 1,502

-14.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$84.2 R 1,388

-5.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$301 R 4,960

161.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$365 R 6,010

117.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$734 R 12.1K

436.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$734 R 12.1K

93.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$862 R 14.2K

702.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$666 R 11.0K

83.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$625 R 10.3K

38.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.25

-23.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kempton Park: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kempton Park

$365 30.2% 54.1% $429

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kempton Park

$207 17.1% 41.2% $145

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kempton Park

$142 11.7% 33% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kempton Park

$254 21% 36.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kempton Park

$117 9.7% 2.7% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kempton Park

$54 4.4% 38.8% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kempton Park

$71 5.9% 18.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $301 in Kempton Park. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 38% 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 $37.00 in Kempton Park for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $207 per month, with Kempton Park cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 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 Kempton Park 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kempton Park

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 Kempton Park: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kempton Park wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kempton Park the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $301 in Kempton Park. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Kempton Park – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,209 in Kempton Park versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kempton Park but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kempton Park the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kempton Park delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,209 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kempton Park hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.