Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tema

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $738 in Tema, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Tema $738

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,173 in Tema, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Tema $1,173

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,608 in Tema, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Tema $1,608

Nosara costs about 149% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Tema is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$7.03 GHS 82.4

73.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$27.88 GHS 327

115.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$5.05 GHS 59.2

-14.65%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.90 GHS 10.56

91.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.30 GHS 3.55

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.29 GHS 38.60

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.61 GHS 30.61

71.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.16 GHS 37.11

-50.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.60 GHS 18.81

98.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.07 GHS 24.29

16.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.30 GHS 27.02

55.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$4.38 GHS 51.4

69.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.17 GHS 37.14

228.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$3.38 GHS 39.66

304.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.61 GHS 30.66

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.13 GHS 25.02

-24.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.21 GHS 25.97

114.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.49 GHS 40.95

-52.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.40 GHS 39.91

9.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.82 GHS 33.06

26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.45 GHS 5.25

144.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.67 GHS 7.84

280.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.26 GHS 14.83

292.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.54 GHS 100

134.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.10 GHS 24.59

32.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.96 GHS 34.74

19.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.68 GHS 19.70

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$41.17 GHS 483

75.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.10 GHS 24.69

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.41 GHS 4.82

278.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.19 GHS 13.96

31.93%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$78.2 GHS 917

19.53%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$15.22 GHS 179

130.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$82.5 GHS 968

-37.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$24.06 GHS 282

196.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.80 GHS 103

-10.91%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$174 GHS 2,046

180.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$2,544 GHS 29.8K

367.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$13.07 GHS 153

309.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$15.40 GHS 181

262.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$42.37 GHS 497

87.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$32.20 GHS 378

144.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$126 GHS 1,483

521.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$71.3 GHS 836

993.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$426 GHS 4,999

805.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$209 GHS 2,451

573.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$9,909 GHS 116.2K

-29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$5,903 GHS 69.2K

-79.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$419 GHS 4,913

109.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-75.37%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Tema

$71 9.6% 90.9% $709

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Tema

$216 28.9% 38.3% $134

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Tema

$143 * 19.2% 31.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Tema

$176 23.6% 2.3% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Tema

$46 6.2% 61.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tema

$42 5.6% 52.2% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tema

$52 7% 40.1% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $126 in Tema. 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 109% higher in Nosara, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $28.00 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $216 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

160,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Tema 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $738 in Tema – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,107 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Tema. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $174 in Tema. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tema, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Tema 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 $738 in Tema to $1,837 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 Tema. 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.