Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lagos

For one person, living is cheaper in Lagos: $941 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lagos

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $941 in Lagos, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Lagos $941

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,837 in Lagos, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Lagos $1,837

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,734 in Lagos, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Lagos $2,734

Nosara costs about 95% more than Lagos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Lagos is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.87 ₦5,143

215.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$49.34 ₦65.5K

22.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.43 ₦9,876

1.48%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.80 ₦3,713

53.93%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.44 ₦583

290.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.22 ₦290

513.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.97 ₦1,295

234.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.97 ₦2,621

127.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.05 ₦4,048

-48.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.45 ₦1,931

118.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.26 ₦1,672

92.06%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.27 ₦3,015

57.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$3.57 ₦4,739

108.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.82 ₦5,076

172.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.37 ₦5,804

212.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.64 ₦2,178

41.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.26 ₦1,673

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.09 ₦1,449

334.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.34 ₦1,775

23.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.32 ₦1,760

181.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.36 ₦1,811

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.84 ₦1,116

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.37 ₦487

589.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$0.59 ₦782

738.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$2.43 ₦3,227

723.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.54 ₦718

416.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$0.50 ₦662

606.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.41 ₦540

190.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$20.01 ₦26.6K

260.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.66 ₦882

239.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.96 ₦1,280

61.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.18 ₦2,893

306.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.82 ₦1,086

91.46%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$11.4K ₦15.1M

91.33%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$13.8K ₦18.4M

150.65%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$115 ₦152.2K

-18.43%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.89 ₦19.8K

135.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$32.78 ₦43.5K

57.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$28.31 ₦37.6K

152.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$6.98 ₦9,266

407.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.09 ₦8,093

28.74%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$654 ₦869.3K

-25.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$19.8K ₦26.4M

-40.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$14.85 ₦19.7K

260.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$18.57 ₦24.7K

200.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$36.39 ₦48.3K

117.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$49.64 ₦65.9K

58.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$729 ₦968.2K

7.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$422 ₦560.2K

84.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,827 ₦3.8M

36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,493 ₦2.0M

-5.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,191 ₦4.2M

118.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,647 ₦2.2M

-27.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$118 ₦157.2K

640.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

18.39

-53.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lagos: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Lagos

$422 44.1% 45.9% $358

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Lagos

$152 15.9% 56.6% $198

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Lagos

$98 10.3% 53.1% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Lagos

$162 17% 9.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Lagos

$54 5.6% 55.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lagos

$41 4.2% 53.5% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lagos

$27 2.8% 68.8% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $729 in Lagos. 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 641% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $49.00 in Lagos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $152 – making Lagos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇳🇬 Lagos

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

10,404,112

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, 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).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,328 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lagos 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lagos

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 Lagos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 95% more than Lagos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,411 in Lagos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $654 in Lagos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lagos, where all-in costs run around $941, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Lagos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lagos costs $941 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Lagos. 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.