Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Masvingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $606 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Masvingo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $606 in Masvingo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Masvingo $606

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,005 in Masvingo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Masvingo $1,005

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,405 in Masvingo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Masvingo $1,405

Nosara costs about 203% more than Masvingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Masvingo is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$10.03 ZWL 268

21.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$44.87 ZWL 1,198

34.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$5.92 ZWL 158

27.36%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$2.93 ZWL 78.3

47.10%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

70.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.45 ZWL 11.96

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$1.26 ZWL 33.70

157.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$2.02 ZWL 53.9

121.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.54 ZWL 41.12

1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$1.03 ZWL 27.40

207.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$1.69 ZWL 45.14

43.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

83.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$11.57 ZWL 309

-35.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$5.52 ZWL 147

88.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$6.50 ZWL 173

110.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$2.92 ZWL 78.1

-20.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.63 ZWL 43.45

-1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$1.99 ZWL 53.2

138.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$1.58 ZWL 42.20

5.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$1.71 ZWL 45.59

117.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$1.79 ZWL 47.74

99.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$1.28 ZWL 34.18

-14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$0.94 ZWL 25.15

171.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$1.94 ZWL 51.9

155.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

$8.22 ZWL 219

143.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$1.38 ZWL 36.74

102.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$1.96 ZWL 52.4

80.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$4.08 ZWL 109

-45.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$2.01 ZWL 53.7

-22.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$4.92 ZWL 131

80.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.85 ZWL 49.47

-15.14%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.9K ZWL 583.3K

-0.23%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$27.4K ZWL 732.5K

26.20%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$50.7 ZWL 1,354

84.25%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$21.58 ZWL 576

62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$69.9 ZWL 1,866

-26.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$10.06 ZWL 268

-22.07%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$441 ZWL 11.8K

10.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,395 ZWL 224.1K

41.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$23.54 ZWL 628

127.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$21.02 ZWL 561

165.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$38.55 ZWL 1,029

105.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$39.69 ZWL 1,059

98.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.69

-37.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Masvingo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Masvingo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Masvingo

$215 36% 38.6% $135

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Masvingo

$149 25.1% 28.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Masvingo

$142 23.9% 21% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Masvingo

$55 9.3% 54.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Masvingo

$20 * 3.4% 76.9% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Masvingo

$14 * 2.4% 83.7% $73

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 $45.00 in Masvingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $215 – making Masvingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

72,527

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.75 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 26.69 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.75 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Masvingo 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Masvingo

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 Masvingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $606 in Masvingo – roughly 203% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $908 in Masvingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $606 in Masvingo. That's a gap of about 203%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $441 in Masvingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Masvingo, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Masvingo 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 $606 in Masvingo 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 Masvingo. 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.