Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $502 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Malindi

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $502 in Malindi, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Malindi $502

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $787 in Malindi, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Malindi $787

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,072 in Malindi, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Malindi $1,072

Nosara costs about 266% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Malindi is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$2.06 KES 267

493.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$23.42 KES 3,038

157.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.55 KES 1,369

-28.53%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.58 KES 465

20.39%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.98 KES 128

75.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.42 KES 54.1

221.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.32 KES 301

39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.24 KES 420

38.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.94 KES 122

67.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.53 KES 68.5

498.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.22 KES 158

98.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.82 KES 236

96.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.22 KES 1,455

-33.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.57 KES 723

87.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$5.03 KES 652

171.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.18 KES 283

6.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.79 KES 102

103.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.82 KES 236

160.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.70 KES 90.7

137.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.66 KES 85.6

463.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.66 KES 85.5

440.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.57 KES 73.5

92.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.43 KES 55.4

493.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.71 KES 611

5.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.82 KES 1,014

155.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.02 KES 262

38.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.87 KES 372

23.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.09 KES 401

-27.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.76 KES 228

-11.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.61 KES 598

92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.38 KES 179

13.77%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$11.9K KES 1.5M

83.58%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$11.9K KES 1.5M

191.94%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$55.5 KES 7,192

68.53%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$12.96 KES 1,681

170.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.24 KES 3,922

70.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$38.98 KES 5,055

83.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$10.71 KES 1,389

-26.80%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$85.2 KES 11.1K

474.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,401 KES 700.5K

119.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$13.30 KES 1,725

302.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$13.46 KES 1,746

314.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$22.81 KES 2,959

247.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$46.96 KES 6,091

67.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$393 KES 50.9K

883.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-33.69%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Malindi

$172 34.3% 50.8% $178

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Malindi

$115 22.9% 45.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Malindi

$99 19.7% 45.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Malindi

$43 8.7% 63.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Malindi

$60 12.1% 30.6% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Malindi

$12 * 2.4% 86.3% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $23.00 in Malindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $172 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

117,735

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Malindi 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 266% more than Malindi, 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 $754 in Malindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $23.00 in Malindi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 103% 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 Malindi, where all-in costs run around $502, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Malindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malindi costs $502 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 Malindi. 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.