Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $419 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
Learn more

Mbeya Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$419

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mbeya

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $419 in Mbeya, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Mbeya $419

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $653 in Mbeya, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Mbeya $653

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $888 in Mbeya, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Mbeya $888

Nosara costs about 339% more than Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Mbeya is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$22.66 TZS 59.5K

165.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.48 TZS 19.6K

0.80%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.54 TZS 4,050

179.87%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.37 TZS 961

364.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.39 TZS 1,033

246.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.72 TZS 1,899

350.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.55 TZS 1,441

185.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.98 TZS 2,578

223.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.97 TZS 2,545

149.48%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.22 TZS 5,821

60.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$3.70 TZS 9,713

100.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.74 TZS 9,806

178.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$3.49 TZS 9,148

291.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.11 TZS 2,924

109.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.78 TZS 2,056

106.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.99 TZS 2,610

378.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.74 TZS 1,954

124.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.93 TZS 2,439

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.73 TZS 1,928

389.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.58 TZS 1,529

89.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.78 TZS 2,048

226.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.12 TZS 2,943

341.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$3.82 TZS 10.0K

423.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.73 TZS 1,908

282.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.11 TZS 2,923

218.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.36 TZS 957

230.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.11 TZS 2,906

101.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.91 TZS 5,024

-18.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.68 TZS 7,031

230.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.19 TZS 3,111

31.93%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$23.67 TZS 62.1K

294.80%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$18.99 TZS 49.8K

84.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$44.78 TZS 117.5K

14.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$38.23 TZS 100.3K

86.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.65 TZS 25.3K

-18.76%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$186 TZS 487.8K

163.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,137 TZS 3.0M

944.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$11.26 TZS 29.6K

375.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$9.75 TZS 25.6K

472.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$18.97 TZS 49.8K

317.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$26.24 TZS 68.8K

200.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$112 TZS 294.2K

600.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$76.4 TZS 200.5K

920.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$190 TZS 497.9K

1934.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$114 TZS 299.3K

1133.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$191 TZS 501.0K

358.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-33.69%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 90.2% $703

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Mbeya

$116 27.1% 66.9% $234

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.2% 77.3% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Mbeya

$87 20.5% 51.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Mbeya

$30 7% 75.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mbeya

$58 13.5% 33.9% $30

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 86% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $112 in Mbeya. 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 359% 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 $23.00 in Mbeya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $116 – making Mbeya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

541,603

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,940 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Mbeya 13,350 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 339%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $628 in Mbeya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $419 in Mbeya. That's a gap of about 339%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $186 in Mbeya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbeya, where all-in costs run around $419, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Mbeya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbeya – 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 Mbeya. 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.