Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mangaf

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangaf: $1,058 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Mangaf
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Mangaf Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Mangaf

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mangaf

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,058 in Mangaf, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Mangaf $1,058

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,337 in Mangaf, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Mangaf $1,337

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,616 in Mangaf, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Mangaf $1,616

Nosara costs about 74% more than Mangaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Mangaf is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.46 KWD 1.99

91.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$63.5 KWD 19.57

-3.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.32 KWD 1.95

18.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 KWD 1.51

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.71 KWD 1.45

-6.37%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.30 KWD 0.09

480.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 KWD 0.10

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.57 KWD 0.48

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.52 KWD 0.47

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.95 KWD 0.60

28.72%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.03 KWD 0.63

75.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.47 KWD 1.38

66.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.84 KWD 2.11

53.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.14 KWD 3.12

37.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.82 KWD 0.56

-11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.79 KWD 0.55

168.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.47 KWD 0.45

9.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.31 KWD 0.40

190.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.49 KWD 0.46

147.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.33 KWD 0.72

-51.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.46 KWD 0.14

478.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.67 KWD 0.82

94.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.86 KWD 1.50

-55.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.16 KWD 0.97

-50.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.22 KWD 5.00

-47.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.35 KWD 0.11

334.29%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.9K KWD 6,452

3.18%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.1K KWD 6,207

71.33%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$65.4 KWD 20.16

47.14%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.22 KWD 6.85

61.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$29.65 KWD 9.13

80.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$48.90 KWD 15.06

46.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.21 KWD 3.45

-29.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$296 KWD 91.3

66.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,239 KWD 2,846

28.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$38.09 KWD 11.74

41.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.80 KWD 12.26

39.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.8 KWD 29.83

-19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$87.3 KWD 26.90

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$243 KWD 74.8

224.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$416 KWD 128

90.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.53

32.01%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mangaf: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Mangaf

$416 39.4% 47.6% $378

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Mangaf

$185 17.5% 47.6% $168

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Mangaf

$130 12.3% 38.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Mangaf

$117 11.1% 36.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Mangaf

$118 11.2% 1.8% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mangaf

$71 6.7% 18.4% $16

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Mangaf

$21 * 2% 76.3% $66

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 $243 in Mangaf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $64.0 in Mangaf. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $185 in Mangaf – so Mangaf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇼 Mangaf

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

07:07 7:07 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

39,025

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Mangaf 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mangaf

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 Mangaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,586 in Mangaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $64.0 in Mangaf. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mangaf, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mangaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mangaf – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Mangaf. 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.