Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $889 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lusaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $889 in Lusaka.

Nosara $1,837
Lusaka $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,510 in Lusaka.

Nosara $2,775
Lusaka $1,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,131 in Lusaka.

Nosara $3,712
Lusaka $2,131

Living in Nosara is roughly 107% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.74 ZMW 114

112.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$30.85 ZMW 612

95.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$4.96 ZMW 98.4

52.02%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.90 ZMW 57.4

48.62%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.74 ZMW 14.65

132.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.46 ZMW 9.16

193.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.30 ZMW 25.85

149.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.27 ZMW 44.98

97.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.76 ZMW 34.83

-10.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.18 ZMW 23.41

168.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.13 ZMW 42.28

13.62%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.92 ZMW 38.15

85.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.36 ZMW 205

-28.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.25 ZMW 124

66.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.62 ZMW 131

106.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.48 ZMW 69.0

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.40 ZMW 47.66

-32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.59 ZMW 71.1

32.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.58 ZMW 31.25

5.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.53 ZMW 50.1

47.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.81 ZMW 35.93

97.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.12 ZMW 22.23

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.79 ZMW 15.68

222.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.96 ZMW 58.7

67.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.26 ZMW 203

95.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.44 ZMW 28.53

93.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.35 ZMW 46.63

50.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.98 ZMW 19.51

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$49.75 ZMW 987

44.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.51 ZMW 49.71

-10.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.56 ZMW 30.84

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.02 ZMW 99.6

76.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.55 ZMW 30.69

1.29%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$7,507 ZMW 148.9K

190.43%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$27.0K ZMW 536.2K

28.10%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$80.5 ZMW 1,595

16.14%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$10.41 ZMW 207

237.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$55.5 ZMW 1,101

-7.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$55.5 ZMW 1,100

28.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$15.10 ZMW 300

134.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.00 ZMW 119

30.67%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$139 ZMW 2,748

253.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$16.7K ZMW 331.0K

-28.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$23.34 ZMW 463

129.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$15.35 ZMW 304

263.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$45.95 ZMW 911

72.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$72.3 ZMW 1,433

9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$391 ZMW 7,744

101.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$180 ZMW 3,575

332.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,107 ZMW 21.9K

248.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$596 ZMW 11.8K

136.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,906 ZMW 37.8K

265.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$4,999 ZMW 99.1K

-75.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$317 ZMW 6,282

176.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-70.28%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Lusaka

$180 20.5% 76.9% $600

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Lusaka

$239 27.2% 31.5% $110

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Lusaka

$111 12.7% 46.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Lusaka

$146 16.7% 18.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Lusaka

$71 8% 41.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 22.5% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 26.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $391 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 177% 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 $31.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $239 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Lusaka 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lusaka

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 Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Lusaka differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $889 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 177% 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 $391 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $889 in Lusaka – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 45% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $889 in Lusaka versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Lusaka 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 Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.