Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Malabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Malabo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $673 in Malabo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Malabo $673

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,117 in Malabo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Malabo $1,117

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,560 in Malabo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Malabo $1,560

Nosara costs about 173% more than Malabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Malabo is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

40.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

-13.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

-12.83%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

-10.02%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.84 FCFA 491

104.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.41 FCFA 240

229.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.69 FCFA 989

91.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

-42.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

38.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

-3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

10.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

73.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

92.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

-2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

-8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

10.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.40 FCFA 822

99.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$0.89 FCFA 521

296.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

-31.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

170.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.83 FCFA 485

169.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.90 FCFA 528

72.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

1.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

-33.04%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

19.16%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

99.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

201.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

109.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

138.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

44.65%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$344 FCFA 201.4K

3351.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$223 FCFA 130.4K

249.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$346 FCFA 202.3K

1016.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$285 FCFA 166.7K

394.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$841 FCFA 492.3K

728.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$648 FCFA 378.9K

85.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.8

26.76%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Malabo

–

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Malabo

–

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Malabo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Malabo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Malabo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Malabo

–

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Malabo

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $70.0 in Malabo. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $152 in Malabo – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇶 Malabo

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

297,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Malabo 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Malabo

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 Malabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $673 in Malabo – roughly 173% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,009 in Malabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 170% less in Malabo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malabo, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Malabo 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 $673 in Malabo to $1,837 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 Malabo. 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.