Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sandton

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandton: $1,237 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sandton
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Sandton Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sandton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sandton

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,237 in Sandton, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sandton $1,237

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,889 in Sandton, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sandton $1,889

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,540 in Sandton, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sandton $2,540

Nosara costs about 49% more than Sandton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sandton is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.67 R 176

15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$43.72 R 720

39.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.57 R 91.8

35.01%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.45 R 40.32

80.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.04 R 17.12

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.90 R 14.81

45.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.30 R 37.94

42.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.99 R 49.28

49.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.16 R 19.03

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.09 R 18.03

177.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.85 R 30.46

35.68%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.65 R 43.64

34.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.63 R 142

-13.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.84 R 79.8

117.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.21 R 119

93.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.11 R 34.80

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.84 R 30.32

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.86 R 30.59

158.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.88 R 30.92

-14.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.56 R 25.75

143.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.80 R 29.59

105.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.23 R 20.26

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.33 R 21.86

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.32 R 54.7

56.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.09 R 100

226.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.57 R 25.87

84.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.99 R 32.86

82.41%

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

$0.29 R 4.76

637.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.89 R 14.59

76.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.62 R 241

-41.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.49 R 24.54

2.01%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.0K R 592.9K

-39.96%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.2K R 546.5K

4.06%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$164 R 2,695

-41.14%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$38.50 R 634

-6.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.37 R 599

47.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$36.64 R 604

95.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.18 R 118

9.89%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$260 R 4,287

89.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,283 R 120.0K

62.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$58.1 R 957

-7.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$46.40 R 764

19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.3 R 1,586

-19.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$90.1 R 1,485

-11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$542 R 8,927

45.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$452 R 7,447

75.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$997 R 16.4K

295.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$853 R 14.1K

66.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$832 R 13.7K

730.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$744 R 12.3K

64.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,808 R 29.8K

-52.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-21.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sandton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sandton

$452 36.5% 43.1% $342

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sandton

$204 16.5% 42.2% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sandton

$157 12.7% 26% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sandton

$238 19.3% 28.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sandton

$131 10.6% 9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sandton

$51 4.1% 41.6% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sandton

$4.7 * 0.4% 94.6% $82

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 $542 in Sandton. 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 109% higher in Sandton, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $44.00 in Sandton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $204 – making Sandton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Sandton

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

16:00 4:00 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

222,415

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sandton 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sandton

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 Sandton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,237 in Sandton – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,856 in Sandton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandton, 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 $44.00 in Sandton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% 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 Sandton, where all-in costs run around $1,237, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sandton 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 $1,237 in Sandton 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 Sandton. 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.