Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
Learn more

Kigali Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kigali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $881 in Kigali.

Nosara $1,837
Kigali $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,376 in Kigali.

Nosara $2,775
Kigali $1,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,871 in Kigali.

Nosara $3,712
Kigali $1,871

Living in Nosara is roughly 109% more expensive than in Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Kigali is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.75 RWF 4,037

344.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$30.32 RWF 44.6K

98.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.73 RWF 9,895

12.04%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.45 RWF 3,599

75.92%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.76 RWF 1,112

126.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.55 RWF 803

145.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.00 RWF 1,471

224.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.34 RWF 3,435

91.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.82 RWF 1,204

91.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.07 RWF 1,577

196.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.32 RWF 1,935

83.33%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.60 RWF 2,354

123.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$4.19 RWF 6,162

77.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.68 RWF 6,878

122.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.51 RWF 6,631

202.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.45 RWF 3,601

-5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.74 RWF 1,093

117.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.54 RWF 2,263

207.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.06 RWF 1,564

56.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.49 RWF 719

659.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.71 RWF 1,050

402.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.70 RWF 1,024

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.82 RWF 1,204

210.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.97 RWF 2,897

151.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.28 RWF 15.1K

94.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.00 RWF 1,468

179.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.59 RWF 2,342

122.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.35 RWF 516

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$25.24 RWF 37.1K

185.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.67 RWF 3,920

-16.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.01 RWF 2,957

-22.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.31 RWF 4,869

167.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.84 RWF 2,702

-14.67%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$26.5K RWF 38.9M

-17.65%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.1K RWF 42.7M

19.19%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

13.09%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$7.06 RWF 10.4K

397.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$20.85 RWF 30.6K

146.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$26.26 RWF 38.6K

171.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$4.16 RWF 6,115

751.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.49 RWF 5,126

124.64%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$112 RWF 164.1K

338.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,532 RWF 14.0M

24.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$17.17 RWF 25.2K

211.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$15.74 RWF 23.1K

254.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$22.31 RWF 32.8K

255.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$34.12 RWF 50.2K

131.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$670 RWF 984.8K

17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$411 RWF 604.6K

89.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,361 RWF 2.0M

183.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$837 RWF 1.2M

68.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,404 RWF 5.0M

104.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,062 RWF 4.5M

-60.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$275 RWF 404.6K

218.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.2

-46.79%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kigali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kigali

$411 47.1% 47.3% $369

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kigali

$153 17.5% 56.4% $197

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kigali

$86 9.9% 58.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kigali

$111 12.7% 38.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kigali

$40 4.6% 66.6% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kigali

$33 3.8% 61.8% $54

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kigali

$39 4.5% 54.7% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $670 in Kigali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 218% 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 $30.00 in Kigali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $153 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,649 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kigali 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kigali

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 Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 218% 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 $670 in Kigali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kigali – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $881 in Kigali versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kigali but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kigali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kigali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $881 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kigali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kigali 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 Kigali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.