Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maseru

For one person, living is cheaper in Maseru: $658 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
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Maseru Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maseru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $658 in Maseru.

Nosara $1,837
Maseru $658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,123 in Maseru.

Nosara $2,775
Maseru $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,588 in Maseru.

Nosara $3,712
Maseru $1,588

Living in Nosara is roughly 179% more expensive than in Maseru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Maseru is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$9.06 LSL 149

34.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$23.68 LSL 391

154.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.35 LSL 138

-9.70%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.01 LSL 33.20

114.43%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.05 LSL 17.27

63.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.80 LSL 13.18

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.75 LSL 28.89

85.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.46 LSL 40.61

82.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.18 LSL 19.47

33.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.80 LSL 13.14

296.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.78 LSL 29.34

35.96%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.53 LSL 25.23

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.71 LSL 111

10.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.32 LSL 104

64.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.20 LSL 102

120.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.92 LSL 31.60

20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.30 LSL 37.95

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.64 LSL 43.54

79.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.36 LSL 39.02

-29.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.59 LSL 26.25

133.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.62 LSL 26.75

120.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.52 LSL 25.10

-27.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.78 LSL 12.88

226.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.03 LSL 83.0

-1.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$7.31 LSL 121

173.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.03 LSL 16.99

170.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.52 LSL 25.15

132.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.77 LSL 12.68

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$30.06 LSL 496

139.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.73 LSL 12.05

206.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.63 LSL 10.36

146.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.65 LSL 60.3

142.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.33 LSL 22.02

18.05%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$20.9K LSL 344.3K

4.48%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$16.4K LSL 270.6K

111.22%

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

$14.63 LSL 241

139.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$37.63 LSL 621

36.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$23.17 LSL 382

208.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$51.2 LSL 845

855.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,181 LSL 19.5K

905.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$46.25 LSL 763

15.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$55.2 LSL 911

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$105 LSL 1,736

-24.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$151 LSL 2,493

-47.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$92.4 LSL 1,525

750.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$55.8 LSL 920

1298.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$426 LSL 7,025

806.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$173 LSL 2,851

714.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$377 LSL 6,219

1749.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$514 LSL 8,481

133.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$631 LSL 10.4K

38.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.5

1.41%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maseru: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Maseru

$56 8.4% 92.8% $724

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Maseru

$195 29.3% 44.1% $154

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Maseru

$143 21.4% 31.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Maseru

$52 * 7.8% 71% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Maseru

$161 24.1% 33.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maseru

$23 * 3.5% 73.4% $64

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maseru

$37 5.6% 57.4% $50

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 $786 in Nosara and $92.4 in Maseru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $24.00 in Maseru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $195 per month, with Maseru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇸 Maseru

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

227,880 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Lesotho Loti LSL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 LSL = 6.06 USD

100 LSL = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LSL, 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).

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 LSL (100 LSL = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 LSL (100 LSL = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Maseru 12,780 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maseru

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 Maseru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Maseru differ by about 179% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $658 including rent). Maseru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $92.4 in Maseru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Maseru – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $658 in Maseru – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $658 in Maseru versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maseru but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Maseru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Maseru 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 Maseru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.