Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Shurugwi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
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Shurugwi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Shurugwi

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $579 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Shurugwi $579

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $949 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Shurugwi $949

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,320 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Shurugwi $1,320

Nosara costs about 218% more than Shurugwi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Shurugwi is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.11 ZWL 269

22.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$39.64 ZWL 1,055

54.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.80 ZWL 154

29.66%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.69 ZWL 45.06

160.95%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.97 ZWL 25.82

79.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.48 ZWL 12.79

172.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.28 ZWL 33.94

156.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.06 ZWL 54.7

116.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.98 ZWL 26.00

208.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.67 ZWL 44.40

50.30%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

84.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.52 ZWL 307

-35.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.30 ZWL 141

98.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.34 ZWL 169

120.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.07 ZWL 81.8

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.65 ZWL 44.01

-2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.01 ZWL 53.4

138.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.51 ZWL 40.30

6.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

127.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.80 ZWL 47.97

105.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.22 ZWL 32.55

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

168.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

165.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.20 ZWL 218

142.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.38 ZWL 36.77

110.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

84.26%

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

$3.94 ZWL 105

-45.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

-20.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.04 ZWL 134

69.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.84 ZWL 48.95

-17.39%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.1K ZWL 587.6K

-2.15%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.8K ZWL 738.7K

24.35%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$52.0 ZWL 1,383

85.24%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$21.89 ZWL 582

63.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$68.3 ZWL 1,818

-21.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.97 ZWL 265

-20.86%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$429 ZWL 11.4K

15.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,436 ZWL 224.5K

40.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.20 ZWL 617

132.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$21.19 ZWL 564

161.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$38.89 ZWL 1,035

100.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$39.82 ZWL 1,060

99.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

13.69

-37.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shurugwi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Shurugwi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Shurugwi

$213 36.7% 39.6% $140

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Shurugwi

$135 23.3% 36.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Shurugwi

$142 24.6% 23.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Shurugwi

$55 9.6% 53.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5% 77.2% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.4% 84.1% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $40.00 in Shurugwi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $213 – making Shurugwi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

06:10 6:10 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

16,866

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, 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).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Shurugwi 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Shurugwi

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 Shurugwi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $579 in Shurugwi – roughly 218% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $868 in Shurugwi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $40.00 in Shurugwi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% 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 Shurugwi, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Shurugwi 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 $579 in Shurugwi 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 Shurugwi. 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.