Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,165 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Stellenbosch

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,165 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Stellenbosch $1,165

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,913 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Stellenbosch $1,913

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,660 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Stellenbosch $2,660

Nosara costs about 58% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Stellenbosch is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.29 R 120

69.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$35.82 R 590

70.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.72 R 77.8

59.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.05 R 33.74

115.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.00 R 16.52

74.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.77 R 12.67

70.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.70 R 44.51

21.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.08 R 50.7

45.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 R 22.16

16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.14 R 18.85

164.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.86 R 30.68

34.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.84 R 46.86

25.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.62 R 142

-13.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.80 R 95.6

81.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.51 R 124

86.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.74 R 28.67

35.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.47 R 24.14

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.69 R 27.78

184.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.59 R 26.17

1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.09 R 17.89

248.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.53 R 25.17

141.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.30 R 21.50

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.17 R 19.36

127.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.52 R 58.1

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.17 R 102

222.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.33 R 21.93

118.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.18 R 35.91

66.51%

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

$0.61 R 10.10

250.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.55 R 25.56

1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.02 R 82.7

69.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.40 R 23.05

8.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.0K R 577.2K

-38.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.0K R 510.9K

11.32%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$103 R 1,691

-6.18%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$28.53 R 470

25.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.28 R 565

56.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$29.25 R 482

144.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.81 R 277

107.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.89 R 146

-11.25%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$264 R 4,351

87.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,389 R 39.4K

396.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$52.1 R 858

3.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.72 R 473

92.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$118 R 1,951

-34.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$90.2 R 1,486

-11.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$698 R 11.5K

12.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$488 R 8,038

62.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,443 R 23.8K

172.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,155 R 19.0K

22.84%

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

$2,556 R 42.1K

-66.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.7

-19.44%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9% 38.6% $306

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4% 42.6% $150

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6% 41.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2% 10.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2% 8.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 46.2% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7% 90.4% $79

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 $698 in Stellenbosch. 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 196% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $36.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $202 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

16:00 4:00 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,068

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Nosara Stellenbosch 11,960 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,165 in Stellenbosch – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,748 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, 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 $36.00 in Stellenbosch. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% 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 Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Stellenbosch 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 $1,165 in Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch. 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.