Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nakuru

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $645 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
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Nakuru Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nakuru

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $645 in Nakuru, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Nakuru $645

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $998 in Nakuru, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Nakuru $998

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,352 in Nakuru, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Nakuru $1,352

Nosara costs about 185% more than Nakuru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Nakuru is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.84 KES 498

221.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$35.30 KES 4,577

73.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.33 KES 820

18.80%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.99 KES 257

121.61%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.40 KES 52.4

335.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.22 KES 28.45

495.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.29 KES 296

43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.63 KES 341

69.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.51 KES 66.6

205.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.48 KES 62.4

529.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.50 KES 194

67.33%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.53 KES 199

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.54 KES 1,366

-29.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.35 KES 823

65.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.34 KES 822

120.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.34 KES 432

-29.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.08 KES 140

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.98 KES 256

142.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 KES 147

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.07 KES 139

255.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.06 KES 137

248.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.68 KES 88.6

66.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.74 KES 96.5

259.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.56 KES 462

45.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.46 KES 1,485

73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.29 KES 297

26.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.81 KES 364

29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.51 KES 195

41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.58 KES 205

-0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.83 KES 367

201.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.59 KES 206

-4.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.7K KES 2.8M

-0.27%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.3K KES 2.6M

70.19%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$55.1 KES 7,143

74.75%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.10 KES 1,957

137.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$35.60 KES 4,615

50.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.90 KES 1,024

-0.13%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$245 KES 31.8K

101.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.4K KES 1.6M

-4.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$27.81 KES 3,605

93.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.41 KES 3,814

88.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.3 KES 9,111

10.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$58.6 KES 7,595

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$221 KES 28.6K

257.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$139 KES 18.1K

470.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$543 KES 70.4K

625.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$194 KES 25.2K

630.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.71

-41.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nakuru: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nakuru

$139 21.6% 82.5% $655

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nakuru

$198 30.7% 43.7% $154

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nakuru

$93 14.4% 56.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nakuru

$106 16.4% 43.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nakuru

$84 13% 30.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5% 81.9% $72

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nakuru

$9.4 * 1.5% 89.2% $78

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 $221 in Nakuru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $35.00 in Nakuru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $198 – making Nakuru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

307,990

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Nakuru 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nakuru

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 Nakuru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $645 in Nakuru – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $967 in Nakuru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakuru, 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 $1,839 in Nosara and $645 in Nakuru. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $245 in Nakuru. 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 Nakuru, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nakuru 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 $645 in Nakuru 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 Nakuru. 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.