Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sun City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,255 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
Learn more

Sun City Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sun City

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,255 in Sun City, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sun City $1,255

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,930 in Sun City, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sun City $1,930

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,606 in Sun City, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sun City $2,606

Nosara costs about 47% more than Sun City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Sun City is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.94 R 197

3.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$43.53 R 717

40.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.40 R 122

1.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.46 R 40.54

79.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.23 R 20.26

41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.93 R 15.34

40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.20 R 36.18

49.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.77 R 45.61

61.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.35 R 22.30

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.28 R 21.14

135.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.77 R 29.18

41.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.63 R 43.27

35.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.41 R 139

-11.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.65 R 93.1

86.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.48 R 140

64.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.10 R 34.58

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.88 R 30.91

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.77 R 29.21

171.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.12 R 34.93

-24.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.67 R 27.45

127.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.83 R 30.09

101.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.49 R 24.55

-24.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.32 R 21.70

101.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.38 R 55.8

53.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.09 R 100

226.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.89 R 31.11

53.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.40 R 39.52

51.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.49 R 24.54

-24.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.82 R 13.44

160.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.91 R 15.01

72.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.50 R 239

-41.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.49 R 24.59

2.01%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.2K R 579.9K

-38.61%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.5K R 519.7K

9.43%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$233 R 3,832

-58.61%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$38.09 R 628

-5.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.25 R 597

47.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.16 R 530

122.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.57 R 174

230.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.69 R 127

2.60%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$246 R 4,052

100.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,459 R 89.9K

117.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$58.1 R 957

-7.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$46.31 R 763

19.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$107 R 1,766

-27.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$107 R 1,757

-25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$395 R 6,502

99.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$354 R 5,834

124.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$737 R 12.1K

434.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$737 R 12.1K

92.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$890 R 14.7K

676.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$658 R 10.8K

86.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.91

-20.99%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sun City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sun City

$354 28.2% 55.4% $440

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sun City

$219 17.5% 37.8% $133

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sun City

$172 13.7% 18.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sun City

$307 24.5% 65.2% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sun City

$143 11.4% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sun City

$48 3.8% 45.6% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sun City

$11 * 0.9% 87% $76

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 $395 in Sun City. 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 $44.00 in Sun City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $219 – making Sun City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,556

💱 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 Sun City 12,760 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,255 in Sun City – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,882 in Sun City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 61% 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 Sun City, where all-in costs run around $1,255, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sun City 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 $1,255 in Sun City 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 Sun City. 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.