Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $830 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Saint-Louis

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 Saint-Louis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $830 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Saint-Louis $830

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,322 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Saint-Louis $1,322

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,815 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Saint-Louis $1,815

Nosara costs about 121% more than Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Saint-Louis is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.50 F CFA 2,045

249.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

14.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.15 F CFA 6,516

-32.38%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.35 F CFA 1,961

28.66%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.25 F CFA 728

37.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.87 F CFA 508

55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.75 F CFA 1,025

85.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.37 F CFA 2,553

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.49 F CFA 1,458

-36.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.27 F CFA 159

1074.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.68 F CFA 980

44.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.45 F CFA 1,431

45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$17.14 F CFA 10.0K

-56.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.75 F CFA 5,117

19.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.00 F CFA 6,432

24.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.12 F CFA 1,826

-25.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.95 F CFA 1,142

-17.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.86 F CFA 1,670

65.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.73 F CFA 1,010

-4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.35 F CFA 787

175.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.98 F CFA 573

264.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.08 F CFA 630

1.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.70 F CFA 410

264.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.12 F CFA 1,241

133.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$16.91 F CFA 9,885

18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.53 F CFA 895

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.37 F CFA 1,968

4.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.89 F CFA 522

151.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.12 F CFA 1,241

-26.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$17.34 F CFA 10.1K

-48.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.70 F CFA 991

-7.65%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$50.9K F CFA 29.7M

-57.15%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$48.6K F CFA 28.4M

-28.71%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$206 F CFA 120.7K

-54.73%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$11.46 F CFA 6,701

206.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$46.89 F CFA 27.4K

9.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.64 F CFA 5,048

-9.26%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$320 F CFA 186.8K

53.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

14.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$58.8 F CFA 34.4K

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$45.28 F CFA 26.5K

23.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$85.6 F CFA 50.0K

-7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$95.0 F CFA 55.5K

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$435 F CFA 254.2K

80.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.75

-1.49%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Saint-Louis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Saint-Louis

$287 34.3% 18% $63

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3% 39.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Saint-Louis

$265 31.7% 47.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3% 6.4% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2.1% 80.2% $70

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4% 86.7% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $435 in Saint-Louis. 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $53.0 in Saint-Louis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $287 – making Saint-Louis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

176,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Saint-Louis 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Saint-Louis

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 Saint-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $830 in Saint-Louis – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,245 in Saint-Louis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Louis, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $53.0 in Saint-Louis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Louis, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Saint-Louis 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 $830 in Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis. 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.