Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Thika

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $518 in Thika, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Thika $518

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $883 in Thika, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Thika $883

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,249 in Thika, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Thika $1,249

Nosara costs about 254% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Thika is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.52 KES 457

250.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$34.21 KES 4,435

79.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$6.43 KES 834

20.68%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.95 KES 253

127.69%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.33 KES 42.15

442.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.61 KES 78.8

111.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$1.87 KES 243

73.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.06 KES 267

115.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.73 KES 95.1

112.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.44 KES 56.8

600.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.16 KES 150

118.10%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.35 KES 175

155.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.81 KES 1,402

-32.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.58 KES 853

55.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$4.12 KES 534

242.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.57 KES 204

45.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.64 KES 82.5

156.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$0.80 KES 104

498.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.10 KES 143

49.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.41 KES 52.9

839.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.44 KES 56.8

752.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.69 KES 89.5

57.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.37 KES 48.31

600.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.71 KES 352

88.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.71 KES 740

248.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.78 KES 230

57.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.90 KES 246

85.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.56 KES 202

39.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.96 KES 125

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$2.82 KES 366

207.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.41 KES 183

9.93%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.7K KES 2.8M

59.49%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$20.0K KES 2.6M

93.82%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$34.37 KES 4,456

175.88%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$14.94 KES 1,936

141.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$35.20 KES 4,564

50.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$46.96 KES 6,088

57.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.63 KES 990

3.67%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$53.7 KES 6,956

813.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,537 KES 458.6K

235.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$27.81 KES 3,605

97.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$29.36 KES 3,806

90.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$69.9 KES 9,061

14.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$19.37 KES 2,512

302.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$98.7 KES 12.8K

711.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$57.5 KES 7,450

1274.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$273 KES 35.3K

1369.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$178 KES 23.0K

693.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$610 KES 79.1K

1057.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.71

-41.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Thika

$57 11.1% 92.7% $732

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Thika

$153 29.6% 56.2% $196

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Thika

$88 17% 58.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Thika

$85 16.3% 54.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Thika

$66 12.7% 45.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Thika

$62 12% 30.6% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2% 92.8% $82

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 $98.7 in Thika. 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 $34.00 in Thika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $153 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

01:37 1:37 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

83,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Thika 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $518 in Thika – roughly 254% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $777 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, 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 $34.00 in Thika. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 128% 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 Thika, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Thika 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 $518 in Thika 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 Thika. 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.