Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maputo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,109 in Maputo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Maputo $1,109

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,720 in Maputo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Maputo $1,720

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,331 in Maputo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Maputo $2,331

Nosara costs about 66% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Maputo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$10.37 MZN 656

17.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$63.2 MZN 3,995

-4.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.95 MZN 440

8.49%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.28 MZN 144

89.04%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.87 MZN 55.2

97.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.73 MZN 46.29

84.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.60 MZN 101

102.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.32 MZN 147

93.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.52 MZN 96.1

3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.00 MZN 63.0

217.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.67 MZN 106

44.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.52 MZN 159

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$21.02 MZN 1,329

-64.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.87 MZN 371

77.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$5.59 MZN 353

144.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.99 MZN 126

16.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.79 MZN 50.2

103.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.71 MZN 108

177.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.09 MZN 68.7

52.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.03 MZN 65.4

261.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.75 MZN 47.25

376.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.96 MZN 61.0

14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.91 MZN 57.4

180.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.83 MZN 179

74.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.11 MZN 639

97.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.98 MZN 61.7

184.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.32 MZN 83.6

167.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.37 MZN 23.45

221.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$23.65 MZN 1,496

204.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.60 MZN 101

40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.19 MZN 75.2

30.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$24.44 MZN 1,546

-63.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.36 MZN 85.8

15.44%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

-31.32%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

53.89%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$71.5 MZN 4,520

30.77%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$7.75 MZN 490

353.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$88.1 MZN 5,573

-41.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$42.26 MZN 2,673

68.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$26.54 MZN 1,679

33.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.88 MZN 499

-0.51%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$129 MZN 8,158

279.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

130.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$49.15 MZN 3,109

8.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$55.3 MZN 3,496

0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$77.2 MZN 4,881

2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$78.1 MZN 4,940

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$536 MZN 33.9K

46.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$382 MZN 24.2K

104.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

263.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$566 MZN 35.8K

148.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

68.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

-41.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$325 MZN 20.6K

169.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-65.52%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Maputo

$382 33.8% 51% $398

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Maputo

$225 19.9% 35.6% $124

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Maputo

$150 13.3% 28.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Maputo

$167 14.8% 7.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Maputo

$117 10.3% 2.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maputo

$58 5.1% 33.4% $29

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maputo

$33 2.9% 62.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $536 in Maputo. 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 170% 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 $63.0 in Maputo. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $225 in Maputo – so Maputo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

05:48 5:48 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, 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).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.94 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Maputo 13,300 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maputo

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 Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,109 in Maputo – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,663 in Maputo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maputo, 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 $129 in Maputo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% 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 Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,109, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Maputo 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 $1,109 in Maputo 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 Maputo. 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.