Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Koforidua

For one person, living is cheaper in Koforidua: $850 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Koforidua
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Koforidua Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Koforidua

🇬🇭 Ghana

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Koforidua

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $850 in Koforidua, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Koforidua $850

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,354 in Koforidua, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Koforidua $1,354

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,858 in Koforidua, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Koforidua $1,858

Nosara costs about 116% more than Koforidua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Koforidua is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.16 GHS 94.9

51.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$51.3 GHS 597

19.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.43 GHS 121

-27.90%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.36 GHS 50.7

1.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.51 GHS 17.60

15.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.44 GHS 5.15

197.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.82 GHS 21.14

80.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.17 GHS 25.20

105.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$3.73 GHS 43.38

-58.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.67 GHS 19.38

80.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.06 GHS 35.61

-17.97%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.70 GHS 31.37

32.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.94 GHS 139

-37.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.09 GHS 82.4

48.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.07 GHS 117

38.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.70 GHS 42.99

-36.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.44 GHS 16.74

11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.77 GHS 20.53

171.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.64 GHS 42.38

-55.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.66 GHS 30.91

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.67 GHS 31.05

38.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.70 GHS 8.13

61.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.61 GHS 7.06

336.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.57 GHS 29.88

101.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.25 GHS 84.3

174.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.29 GHS 14.96

124.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.35 GHS 27.32

54.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.81 GHS 9.44

38.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.67 GHS 19.38

28.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.29 GHS 14.95

21.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.37 GHS 50.8

94.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.30 GHS 15.09

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$8,134 GHS 94.6K

165.67%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$9,957 GHS 115.8K

246.67%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$74.2 GHS 863

29.79%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.17 GHS 223

87.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.33 GHS 492

26.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.79 GHS 149

-38.31%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$461 GHS 5,357

7.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.7K GHS 217.9K

-36.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$14.36 GHS 167

275.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$18.38 GHS 214

201.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$36.28 GHS 422

114.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$52.1 GHS 606

52.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$345 GHS 4,007

128.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$173 GHS 2,014

358.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$519 GHS 6,031

659.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$252 GHS 2,926

464.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$335 GHS 3,891

158.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

26.75

-67.78%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Koforidua: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Koforidua

$173 20.4% 78.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Koforidua

$280 32.9% 20.5% $72

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Koforidua

$170 20% 19.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Koforidua

$136 16% 27% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Koforidua

$55 6.4% 54.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Koforidua

$26 * 3% 70.7% $62

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Koforidua

$11 * 1.3% 87% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $345 in Koforidua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 158% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $51.0 in Koforidua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $280 – making Koforidua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇭 Koforidua

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

130,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.08 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Koforidua 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Koforidua

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 Koforidua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $850 in Koforidua – roughly 116% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,276 in Koforidua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koforidua, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $850 in Koforidua. That's a gap of about 116%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $461 in Koforidua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koforidua, where all-in costs run around $850, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Koforidua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $850 in Koforidua to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Koforidua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.