Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Margate

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $889 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Margate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $889 in Margate.

Nosara $1,839
Margate $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,410 in Margate.

Nosara $2,828
Margate $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,932 in Margate.

Nosara $3,818
Margate $1,932

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Margate is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.83 R 129

57.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$35.95 R 592

70.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.97 R 98.4

25.96%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.80 R 29.58

145.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.03 R 16.99

68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.76 R 12.60

72.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.43 R 39.96

34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.27 R 37.38

96.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.02 R 16.77

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.92 R 15.10

228.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.05 R 17.37

139.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.36 R 38.87

51.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.98 R 82.0

49.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.37 R 55.6

212.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.05 R 99.7

130.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.15 R 18.87

104.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.19 R 19.54

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.05 R 17.37

357.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.44 R 23.78

11.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.08 R 17.78

251.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.30 R 21.43

183.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.09 R 17.96

3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.95 R 15.63

180.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.58 R 26.04

227.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$3.49 R 57.5

469.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.45 R 23.92

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.81 R 29.90

100.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.52 R 25.09

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.41 R 6.75

421.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.74 R 12.23

112.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.46 R 123

14.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.35 R 22.31

12.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.5K R 584.5K

-39.09%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.9K R 508.8K

11.77%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$60.9 R 1,003

58.14%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$18.27 R 301

96.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$33.36 R 550

60.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.27 R 532

121.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.59 R 174

229.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.12 R 68.0

91.50%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$304 R 5,016

62.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,507 R 123.7K

57.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.2 R 893

-0.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$18.33 R 302

202.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.8 R 1,183

8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$48.57 R 800

63.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$396 R 6,527

98.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$366 R 6,028

117.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$741 R 12.2K

431.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$722 R 11.9K

96.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$888 R 14.6K

678.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$666 R 11.0K

83.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,528 R 25.2K

-43.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.78

-26.83%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Margate

$366 41.2% 53.9% $428

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Margate

$147 16.5% 58.4% $206

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Margate

$126 14.2% 40.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Margate

$113 12.7% 39.4% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Margate

$87 9.8% 27.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Margate

$41 4.6% 53.6% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Margate

$10 * 1.2% 88.3% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $396 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 77% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $36.00 in Margate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $147 per month, with Margate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Margate

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

34,407

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Margate 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Margate wins on cost – living expenses run 107% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Margate the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Margate. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $396 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $304 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $889 in Margate versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Margate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Margate delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $889 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Margate hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Margate 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 Margate 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.