Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $606 a month against $1,839 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 Nanyuki
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Nanyuki Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nanyuki

🇰🇪 Kenya

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nanyuki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $606 in Nanyuki.

Nosara $1,839
Nanyuki $606

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,014 in Nanyuki.

Nosara $2,828
Nanyuki $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,422 in Nanyuki.

Nosara $3,818
Nanyuki $1,422

Living in Nosara is roughly 204% more expensive than in Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Nanyuki is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.47 KES 838

90.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$34.36 KES 4,455

78.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.46 KES 838

16.41%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.65 KES 343

66.42%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.67 KES 86.3

159.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.57 KES 73.5

129.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.25 KES 291

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.64 KES 342

69.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.92 KES 119

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.56 KES 72.9

439.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.13 KES 147

122.12%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.70 KES 221

110.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.69 KES 1,386

-30.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.40 KES 830

64.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.17 KES 800

126.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.27 KES 423

-28.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.09 KES 141

47.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.95 KES 253

146.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.11 KES 143

45.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.12 KES 145

239.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.04 KES 135

254.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.74 KES 95.4

52.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.75 KES 96.8

254.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.51 KES 455

47.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.59 KES 1,502

71.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.22 KES 288

30.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.81 KES 365

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

$1.57 KES 204

36.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.57 KES 204

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.98 KES 386

185.91%

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

$21.9K KES 2.8M

-1.20%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.5K KES 2.7M

68.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$56.2 KES 7,288

71.30%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.87 KES 1,927

141.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.63 KES 4,489

54.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.54 KES 977

4.64%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$253 KES 32.8K

95.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

-2.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$27.78 KES 3,601

94.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.61 KES 3,838

87.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.9 KES 9,186

9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$58.9 KES 7,630

35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$78.2 KES 10.1K

908.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$64.9 KES 8,408

1124.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$233 KES 30.2K

1591.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$192 KES 24.9K

639.98%

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

$116 KES 15.1K

642.20%

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 Nanyuki: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nanyuki

$65 10.7% 91.8% $729

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nanyuki

$202 33.4% 42.6% $150

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nanyuki

$124 20.5% 41.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nanyuki

$106 17.5% 43.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nanyuki

$84 13.9% 29.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nanyuki

$15 * 2.5% 82.8% $72

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nanyuki

$9.4 * 1.6% 89.2% $78

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 $788 in Nosara and $78.2 in Nanyuki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 642% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $34.00 in Nanyuki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $202 per month, with Nanyuki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Nanyuki

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

17:56 5:56 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,000

💱 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 Nanyuki 13,580 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanyuki wins on cost – living expenses run 204% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nanyuki the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 642% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $78.2 in Nanyuki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $606 in Nanyuki – a 204% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $606 in Nanyuki versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nanyuki but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Nanyuki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nanyuki delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $606 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nanyuki hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Nanyuki 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 Nanyuki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.