Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pietermaritzburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,036 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pietermaritzburg

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Pietermaritzburg $1,036

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,560 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Pietermaritzburg $1,560

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,083 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Pietermaritzburg $2,083

Nosara costs about 77% more than Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Pietermaritzburg is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.91 R 130

54.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$35.62 R 588

69.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.61 R 92.6

34.40%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.29 R 37.86

88.21%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.16 R 19.12

48.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.97 R 16.08

39.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.24 R 36.89

44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.56 R 42.25

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.33 R 21.88

18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.00 R 16.45

217.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.74 R 28.78

39.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.20 R 52.7

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.93 R 114

7.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.96 R 81.8

110.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.57 R 108

107.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.02 R 33.40

14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.90 R 31.31

-15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.20 R 36.35

115.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.06 R 34.00

-19.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.75 R 28.92

112.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.75 R 28.93

104.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.53 R 25.31

-28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.09 R 17.98

133.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.01 R 49.69

64.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$3.94 R 65.0

407.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.38 R 22.72

102.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.80 R 29.70

96.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$2.84 R 46.92

-58.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$19.57 R 323

268.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.65 R 27.23

35.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.07 R 17.60

44.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.42 R 23.49

10.56%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$26.7K R 440.1K

-18.27%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$26.2K R 432.5K

32.12%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$206 R 3,398

-54.62%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$31.68 R 523

10.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$36.96 R 610

39.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$43.95 R 725

62.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$3.03 R 50.1

1069.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.72 R 77.8

66.10%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$181 R 2,993

169.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,207 R 85.9K

128.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$55.4 R 914

-3.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$33.93 R 560

64.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$116 R 1,910

-31.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$68.9 R 1,137

14.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$219 R 3,607

259.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$222 R 3,670

250.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$581 R 9,593

563.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$406 R 6,698

246.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$5,971 R 98.5K

16.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$149 R 2,455

707.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,074 R 17.7K

-18.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.67

-26.14%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Pietermaritzburg

$222 21.4% 71.5% $557

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$195 18.8% 44.1% $154

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8% 36.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.4% 52.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Pietermaritzburg

$123 11.9% 2.4% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.1% 38.7% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7% 56.3% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $219 in Pietermaritzburg. 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 23% higher in Pietermaritzburg, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $36.00 in Pietermaritzburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $195 – making Pietermaritzburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

618,536

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Pietermaritzburg 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pietermaritzburg

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 Pietermaritzburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,555 in Pietermaritzburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 268% less in Pietermaritzburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $181 in Pietermaritzburg. 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 Pietermaritzburg, where all-in costs run around $1,036, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Pietermaritzburg 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 $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg to $1,837 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 Pietermaritzburg. 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.