Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tembisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,106 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tembisa

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,106 in Tembisa, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Tembisa $1,106

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,692 in Tembisa, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Tembisa $1,692

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,279 in Tembisa, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Tembisa $2,279

Nosara costs about 66% more than Tembisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Tembisa is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$9.55 R 157

29.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$40.71 R 671

50.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.67 R 93.5

36.86%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.24 R 36.98

98.21%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.05 R 17.34

70.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.87 R 14.40

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.42 R 39.79

33.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.78 R 45.74

59.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.21 R 19.90

28.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.13 R 18.68

172.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.75 R 28.88

44.57%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.54 R 41.85

35.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.67 R 143

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.08 R 83.7

101.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.38 R 122

91.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.79 R 29.57

27.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.68 R 27.65

-2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.81 R 29.74

164.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.67 R 27.52

-1.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.53 R 25.22

151.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.40 R 23.09

167.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.24 R 20.48

-12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.05 R 17.35

146.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.61 R 59.5

41.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.31 R 87.5

275.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.43 R 23.50

95.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.80 R 29.68

95.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.36 R 22.38

-10.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.68 R 11.20

219.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.98 R 16.21

59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$11.10 R 183

-21.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.54 R 25.38

0.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.4K R 534.0K

6.60%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$31.7K R 521.5K

22.40%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$148 R 2,438

-35.92%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$31.88 R 525

13.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$38.41 R 633

38.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$32.17 R 530

129.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$9.83 R 162

262.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.34 R 105

24.76%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$246 R 4,057

99.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,091 R 100.3K

95.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$60.3 R 993

-9.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$37.09 R 611

50.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$101 R 1,665

-20.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.4 R 1,358

-5.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$406 R 6,686

97.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$365 R 6,008

116.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$688 R 11.3K

482.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$673 R 11.1K

109.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$942 R 15.5K

650.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$694 R 11.4K

78.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$574 R 9,454

54.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.94

-21.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Tembisa

$365 33% 53.8% $425

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Tembisa

$195 17.6% 44.2% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Tembisa

$146 13.2% 31.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Tembisa

$218 19.7% 18.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Tembisa

$126 11.4% 4.4% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Tembisa

$45 4.1% 49.9% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Tembisa

$11 * 1% 87.6% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $406 in Tembisa. 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 54% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $41.00 in Tembisa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $195 – making Tembisa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

463,109

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Nosara Tembisa 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tembisa

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,106 in Tembisa – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,659 in Tembisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tembisa, 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 $41.00 in Tembisa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tembisa, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Tembisa 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 $1,106 in Tembisa to $1,835 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 Tembisa. 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.