Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ongata Rongai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $571 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ongata Rongai

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $571 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ongata Rongai $571

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $880 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ongata Rongai $880

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,189 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ongata Rongai $1,189

Nosara costs about 222% more than Ongata Rongai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ongata Rongai is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.38 KES 827

93.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.02 KES 2,465

221.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.23 KES 808

20.71%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.97 KES 256

123.86%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.32 KES 41.56

443.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.41 KES 52.8

219.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.35 KES 304

39.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.77 KES 359

61.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.45 KES 57.9

246.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.48 KES 62.6

529.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.58 KES 205

58.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.35 KES 175

164.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.29 KES 556

73.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.46 KES 449

204.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$3.55 KES 460

293.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.24 KES 161

89.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.09 KES 142

47.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.13 KES 147

324.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.61 KES 78.6

163.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.74 KES 95.5

413.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.47 KES 61.4

685.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.73 KES 94.1

54.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.44 KES 56.7

504.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.30 KES 298

125.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.13 KES 1,184

117.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.28 KES 295

27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.82 KES 365

28.72%

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

$1.53 KES 198

2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.94 KES 381

189.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.62 KES 210

-6.17%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.6K KES 2.8M

-0.11%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.0K KES 2.6M

72.70%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$55.0 KES 7,130

75.07%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.94 KES 1,938

140.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.88 KES 4,522

53.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.56 KES 980

4.37%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$252 KES 32.7K

96.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.6K KES 1.6M

-5.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.60 KES 3,709

88.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$29.63 KES 3,841

87.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$68.8 KES 8,913

13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$58.7 KES 7,611

35.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$152 KES 19.7K

418.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$116 KES 15.0K

585.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$235 KES 30.5K

1573.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$235 KES 30.5K

502.89%

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 Ongata Rongai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.3% 85.4% $678

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.6% 63.5% $224

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ongata Rongai

$114 19.9% 46.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.4% 43.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.6% 30.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7% 82.7% $72

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ongata Rongai

$9.2 * 1.6% 89.4% $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 $152 in Ongata Rongai. 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 $19.00 in Ongata Rongai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $129 – making Ongata Rongai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

172,569

💱 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

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Between locations

Nosara Ongata Rongai 13,580 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ongata Rongai

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 Ongata Rongai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $571 in Ongata Rongai – roughly 222% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $856 in Ongata Rongai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ongata Rongai, 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 $19.00 in Ongata Rongai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 174% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ongata Rongai, where all-in costs run around $571, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ongata Rongai 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 $571 in Ongata Rongai 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 Ongata Rongai. 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.