Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mossel Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,103 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
Learn more

Mossel Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mossel Bay

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,103 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Mossel Bay $1,103

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,738 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Mossel Bay $1,738

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,374 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Mossel Bay $2,374

Nosara costs about 67% more than Mossel Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Mossel Bay is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.78 R 244

-16.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$47.61 R 784

28.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.76 R 144

-14.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.60 R 42.86

69.62%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.33 R 21.90

30.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.95 R 15.68

37.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.44 R 40.23

34.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.94 R 48.42

52.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.12 R 18.39

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.08 R 17.83

179.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.61 R 43.02

-3.83%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.09 R 50.8

15.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.41 R 155

-21.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.05 R 83.1

108.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.11 R 134

72.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.93 R 31.86

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.32 R 21.82

21.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.81 R 29.81

165.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.04 R 33.64

-21.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.48 R 24.45

156.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.67 R 27.53

120.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.22 R 20.15

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.23 R 20.20

116.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.58 R 59.0

44.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.93 R 81.2

303.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.13 R 35.10

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.95 R 32.09

86.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.42 R 23.39

-21.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.55 R 9.09

289.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.92 R 15.22

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$10.94 R 180

-22.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.45 R 23.89

4.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.3K R 482.2K

-26.17%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.8K R 457.3K

24.36%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$109 R 1,797

-11.70%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$18.50 R 305

94.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.39 R 698

26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$21.17 R 349

238.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.96 R 181

218.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.13 R 117

10.66%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$224 R 3,687

120.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,534 R 91.2K

114.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$48.68 R 802

10.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$20.49 R 338

170.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$99.6 R 1,641

-21.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$68.0 R 1,120

17.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$505 R 8,319

56.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$368 R 6,066

115.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,031 R 17.0K

282.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$707 R 11.6K

100.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$599 R 9,866

1054.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$607 R 9,998

101.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,471 R 24.2K

-41.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.75

-26.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Mossel Bay

$368 33.4% 53.6% $426

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Mossel Bay

$209 19% 40.6% $143

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Mossel Bay

$203 18.4% 4.2% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Mossel Bay

$170 15.4% 8.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Mossel Bay

$107 9.7% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2% 59.4% $52

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1% 87.5% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $505 in Mossel Bay. 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 70% higher in Mossel Bay, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $48.00 in Mossel Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $209 – making Mossel Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

60,000

💱 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 Mossel Bay 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mossel Bay

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 Mossel Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,103 in Mossel Bay – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,655 in Mossel Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $48.00 in Mossel Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% 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 Mossel Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,103, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mossel Bay 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 $1,103 in Mossel Bay to $1,839 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 Mossel Bay. 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.