Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and South Africa
For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,182 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
-
Nosara Living Index89Cost of Living Index in NosaraLearn more -
South Africa Living Index58Cost of Living Index in South AfricaLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Nosara is 27.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 55.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Nosara is 49.7% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 47.1% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$10.64 R 176
14.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$41.40 R 683
45.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$5.60 R 92.4
34.64%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$2.28 R 37.63
89.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$1.16 R 19.17
48.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$0.92 R 15.22
46.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$2.45 R 40.40
32.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$2.95 R 48.69
51.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$1.19 R 19.63
31.93%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$1.12 R 18.42
183.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$1.79 R 29.58
35.20%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$2.48 R 40.88
43.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$8.08 R 133
-8.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$5.13 R 84.7
103.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$7.81 R 129
74.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$1.87 R 30.78
24.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$1.66 R 27.42
-3.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$1.77 R 29.15
167.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$1.80 R 29.67
-7.78%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$1.49 R 24.53
149.66%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$1.50 R 24.71
138.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$1.28 R 21.16
-14.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$1.09 R 17.97
133.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$3.22 R 53.2
53.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$4.93 R 81.3
305.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$1.48 R 24.47
88.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$2.01 R 33.09
75.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
$1.60 R 26.39
-25.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
$60.7 R 1,001
18.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$1.09 R 17.98
105.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$0.98 R 16.23
58.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$7.42 R 122
19.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$1.49 R 24.63
5.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$35.0K R 578.2K
-37.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$31.6K R 521.1K
9.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$131 R 2,168
-28.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$34.71 R 573
1.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$39.94 R 659
28.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$33.88 R 559
110.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
$11.39 R 188
211.15%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$7.31 R 121
7.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$225 R 3,715
117.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$5,485 R 90.5K
116.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$52.0 R 858
3.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$33.30 R 549
67.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$99.4 R 1,640
-20.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$87.4 R 1,441
-9.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$480 R 7,918
63.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$406 R 6,692
92.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$935 R 15.4K
312.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$796 R 13.1K
76.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
$1,111 R 18.3K
527.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
$777 R 12.8K
54.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
$1,476 R 24.4K
-40.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
11.23
-23.24%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026
Last update for South Africa: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara $780 43%
South Africa $406 33.6% 48% $374
Groceries & Markets
Nosara $350 19.3%
South Africa $196 16.2% 44% $154
Eating Out
Nosara $209 11.6%
South Africa $156 12.9% 25.6% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara $180 9.9%
South Africa $206 17.1% 14.5% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara $120 6.6%
South Africa $122 10.1% 1.7% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara $87 4.8%
South Africa $49 4% 44.3% $39
Getting Around
Nosara $87 4.8%
South Africa $73 6.1% 15.8% $14
Accommodation & Living
Nosara $1.4K 37.2%
South Africa $796 31.3% 43.4% $611
Groceries & Markets
Nosara $784 20.7%
South Africa $453 17.8% 42.2% $331
Eating Out
Nosara $724 19.1%
South Africa $525 20.6% 27.5% $199
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara $215 5.7%
South Africa $241 9.5% 11.9% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara $267 7.1%
South Africa $272 10.7% 1.7% $4.6
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara $210 5.5%
South Africa $108 4.3% 48.3% $101
Getting Around
Nosara $176 4.7%
South Africa $149 5.9% 15.2% $27
Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇿🇦 South Africa
Weather
Population
4,912
62,027,503
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Nosara South Africa 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
- Nosara
- South Africa
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,348
/mo nomad
Similar cities
🇬🇷 Greece
87
Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more
Zagreb
🇭🇷 Croatia
85
Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
Learn more
Tallinn
🇪🇪 Estonia
91
Cost of Living Index in Tallinn
Learn more
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
88
Cost of Living Index in Krakow
Learn more
Seoul
🇰🇷 South Korea
87
Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more
Plzen
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
85
Cost of Living Index in Plzen
Learn more
Porto
🇵🇹 Portugal
93
Cost of Living Index in Porto
Learn more
Bratislava
🇸🇰 Slovakia
92
Cost of Living Index in Bratislava
Learn more