Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sunshine Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,249 in Sunshine Coast, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Sunshine Coast
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Sunshine Coast Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,249

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sunshine Coast

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,249 in Sunshine Coast, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Sunshine Coast $2,249

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,383 in Sunshine Coast, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Sunshine Coast $3,383

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,517 in Sunshine Coast, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Sunshine Coast $4,517

Nosara is about 18% cheaper than Sunshine Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Sunshine Coast sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Sunshine Coast by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.10 A$24.60

-27.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$75.6 A$109

-19.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.63 A$15.29

-29.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.13 A$5.95

6.78%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.75 A$3.96

-36.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.67 A$3.84

-50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$7.85 A$11.29

-58.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$9.66 A$13.90

-53.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.31 A$1.89

19.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.94 A$2.79

55.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.00 A$2.87

25.50%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.67 A$6.72

-23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.89 A$15.67

-31.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.99 A$11.50

31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$20.85 A$30.00

-33.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.08 A$4.43

-23.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.45 A$3.53

-34.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.05 A$4.39

57.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.01 A$5.77

-59.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.05 A$2.95

85.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.61 A$2.32

129.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.25 A$3.24

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.25 A$3.24

18.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$46.90 A$67.5

-88.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.63 A$22.50

27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$5.40 A$7.77

-46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$6.06 A$8.71

-40.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.42 A$2.05

-21.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$40.59 A$58.4

78.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.12 A$3.04

0.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.61 A$2.32

-2.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$36.11 A$52.0

-76.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.30 A$1.87

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.4K A$45.2K

-31.17%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.2K A$43.5K

14.28%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$140 A$202

-31.43%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$42.80 A$61.6

-16.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$66.3 A$95.4

-19.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$49.61 A$71.4

44.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.54 A$23.80

111.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$15.38 A$22.13

-48.70%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,080 A$2,993

-76.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$63.5 A$91.3

-14.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$111 A$160

-50.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.7 A$142

-21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$99.9 A$144

-20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,187 A$1,709

-33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,024 A$1,473

-22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,848 A$2,659

113.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,749 A$2,517

-18.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,633 A$8,106

22.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$5,228 A$7,523

-76.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,483 A$5,012

-75.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.75

49.91%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Sunshine Coast

$1K 45.5% 28.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Sunshine Coast

$373 16.6% 5.7% $20

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Sunshine Coast

$299 13.3% 40.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Sunshine Coast

$250 11.1% 34.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sunshine Coast

$168 7.5% 39.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sunshine Coast

$80 3.6% 8% $7

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Sunshine Coast

$56 2.5% 35.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,187 in Sunshine Coast. 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 303% higher in Sunshine Coast, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $76.0 in Sunshine Coast. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $373 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

16 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

284,131

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sunshine Coast 13,600 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sunshine Coast

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 Sunshine Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,249 in Sunshine Coast – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,373 in Sunshine Coast. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $2,080 in Sunshine Coast. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Sunshine Coast at $2,249. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunshine Coast 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,249 in Sunshine Coast. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sunshine Coast makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.