Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
Learn more

St Francis Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,022 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
St Francis Bay $1,022

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,650 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
St Francis Bay $1,650

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,278 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
St Francis Bay $2,278

Nosara costs about 80% more than St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while St Francis Bay is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.85 R 179

13.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$42.05 R 693

45.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.65 R 60.2

106.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.14 R 35.18

106.07%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.02 R 16.76

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.73 R 11.98

79.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.13 R 35.13

53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.84 R 30.36

142.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.86 R 14.25

81.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.01 R 16.58

199.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.43 R 23.56

75.52%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.66 R 43.89

34.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.39 R 122

0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.33 R 87.9

97.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.26 R 136

69.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.08 R 34.25

12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.46 R 24.04

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.67 R 27.59

187.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.79 R 29.48

-10.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.65 R 27.26

130.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.38 R 22.70

167.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.22 R 20.15

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.98 R 16.17

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.18 R 52.4

62.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.80 R 79.1

314.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.26 R 20.73

130.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.73 R 28.44

109.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.48 R 24.34

-24.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.57 R 9.45

275.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.49 R 8.13

220.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.19 R 135

4.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.36 R 22.46

11.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.3K R 334.8K

6.35%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.7K R 554.7K

2.53%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$60.0 R 988

60.54%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$34.08 R 562

5.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$41.40 R 682

29.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.46 R 518

127.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.79 R 178

223.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.04 R 149

-12.72%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$180 R 2,961

174.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,149 R 101.3K

92.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$71.5 R 1,178

-24.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$37.62 R 620

47.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 R 1,812

-29.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.9 R 1,613

-18.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$398 R 6,561

97.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$353 R 5,823

124.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$716 R 11.8K

449.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$715 R 11.8K

98.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$870 R 14.3K

694.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$665 R 11.0K

84.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.94

-27.81%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

St Francis Bay

$353 34.6% 55.5% $441

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

St Francis Bay

$187 18.3% 46.8% $165

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

St Francis Bay

$145 14.2% 31.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

St Francis Bay

$135 13.3% 27.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

St Francis Bay

$143 14% 18.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

St Francis Bay

$50 4.9% 43.3% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

St Francis Bay

$9 * 0.9% 89.7% $78

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 $398 in St Francis Bay. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $42.00 in St Francis Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $187 – making St Francis Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

11:31 11:31 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,910

💱 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 St Francis Bay 12,510 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,022 in St Francis Bay – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,533 in St Francis Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St Francis Bay, 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 $42.00 in St Francis Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Nosara at $1,839. In St Francis Bay 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 $1,022 in St Francis Bay 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 St Francis Bay. 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.