Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
Learn more

Surfers Paradise Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Surfers Paradise

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Surfers Paradise $2,824

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $4,398 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Surfers Paradise $4,398

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,973 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Surfers Paradise $5,973

Nosara is about 35% cheaper than Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Surfers Paradise sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Surfers Paradise by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,556

$17.36 A$24.87

-28.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$105 A$150

-41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,383

$10.85 A$15.55

-30.69%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,984

$4.10 A$5.87

7.56%

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

$1.74 ₡782

$2.81 A$4.03

-38.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡589

$2.40 A$3.44

-45.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,475

$7.86 A$11.26

-58.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,010

$7.87 A$11.27

-43.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡703

$1.66 A$2.38

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,359

$2.70 A$3.87

11.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,129

$2.41 A$3.45

4.15%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,608

$4.90 A$7.02

-27.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,344

$8.68 A$12.43

-14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,732

$9.09 A$13.01

15.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,284

$14.47 A$20.73

-3.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$3.92 A$5.62

-40.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡722

$3.08 A$4.41

-47.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,159

$3.37 A$4.83

42.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$4.84 A$6.93

-66.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,708

$2.82 A$4.04

34.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,662

$2.44 A$3.49

51.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$2.39 A$3.43

-52.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$2.07 A$2.97

28.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,328

$37.58 A$53.8

-86.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,944

$14.26 A$20.43

39.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,304

$5.97 A$8.55

-51.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,631

$5.12 A$7.33

-29.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡506

$0.34 A$0.49

229.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡961

$2.10 A$3.01

1.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.62 A$2.32

-3.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,835

$35.24 A$50.5

-75.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡684

$1.30 A$1.86

16.92%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.0K A$38.7K

-20.05%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.3K A$40.6K

21.76%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$212 A$304

-54.64%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$29.92 A$42.87

19.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$55.4 A$79.4

-3.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$66.1 A$94.6

8.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.45 A$20.70

141.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,550

$17.42 A$24.95

-54.71%

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

$494 ₡222.3K

$1,944 A$2,785

-74.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.4K A$17.7K

-4.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$83.1 A$119

-35.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$55.1 A$78.9

0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.1K

$111 A$159

-29.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$121 A$174

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.5K

$1,912 A$2,739

-58.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡357.3K

$1,570 A$2,250

-49.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$3,770 A$5,400

4.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡638.4K

$3,067 A$4,393

-53.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,895 A$8,444

17.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.7K

$4,954 A$7,096

-75.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

$3,288 A$4,710

-73.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.81

48.36%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 97.7% $776

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 7.8% $28

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 40% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 60.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 38.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 15.5% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 86.7% $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 $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. 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 281% higher in Surfers Paradise, 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 $105 in Surfers Paradise. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $380 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

16 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,668

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Surfers Paradise 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,824 in Surfers Paradise – roughly 54% 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 $4,235 in Surfers Paradise. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $105 in Surfers Paradise. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Surfers Paradise, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Surfers Paradise at $2,824. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surfers Paradise 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 $2,824 in Surfers Paradise. 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, Surfers Paradise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.