Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Toowoomba

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,110 in Toowoomba, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toowoomba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Toowoomba

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,110 in Toowoomba, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Toowoomba $2,110

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,921 in Toowoomba, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Toowoomba $2,921

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,732 in Toowoomba, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Toowoomba $3,732

Nosara is about 13% cheaper than Toowoomba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Toowoomba sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Toowoomba by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.56 A$23.82

-25.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$72.1 A$104

-15.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.30 A$13.38

-19.14%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.81 A$5.48

15.75%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.71 A$3.90

-35.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.34 A$3.37

-44.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.78 A$9.75

-51.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$7.10 A$10.22

-37.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.50 A$2.16

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.27 A$3.27

33.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.94 A$2.80

29.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.55 A$6.55

-21.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.62 A$12.40

-13.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.89 A$12.79

18.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.73 A$16.87

19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.15 A$4.53

-25.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.79 A$2.58

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.37 A$1.97

250.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.15 A$3.09

-25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.49 A$3.59

52.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.23 A$3.20

65.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.39 A$3.45

-52.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.99 A$1.42

168.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$34.77 A$50.0

-85.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.72 A$19.75

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.59 A$6.60

-36.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$6.53 A$9.39

-44.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.04 A$4.38

-63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.22 A$3.20

-3.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.61 A$2.31

-2.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$34.11 A$49.08

-75.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.32 A$1.90

15.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.7K A$38.4K

-19.03%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.3K A$33.5K

48.08%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$74.5 A$107

29.27%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$30.11 A$43.33

19.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$54.1 A$77.8

-0.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.16 A$59.2

73.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.69 A$25.46

97.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.85 A$19.92

-43.03%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,039 A$2,934

-75.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,996 A$10.1K

69.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$75.1 A$108

-28.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$53.8 A$77.4

2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$74.8 A$108

4.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$122 A$176

-34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,215 A$1,748

-35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,130 A$1,626

-29.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,618 A$2,328

143.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,409 A$2,028

0.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,392 A$4,881

103.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,674 A$3,847

-54.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,869 A$5,567

-77.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.69

51.49%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Toowoomba: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6% 42.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Toowoomba

$309 14.6% 12.4% $44

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Toowoomba

$274 13% 29.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Toowoomba

$159 7.5% 14.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Toowoomba

$147 7% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Toowoomba

$69 3.3% 21.2% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1% 74.3% $65

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 $1,215 in Toowoomba. 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 348% higher in Toowoomba, 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 $72.0 in Toowoomba. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $309 in Toowoomba – so Toowoomba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

06:48 6:48 AM

16 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

108,398

💱 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 Toowoomba 13,700 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Toowoomba

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 Toowoomba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,110 in Toowoomba – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,165 in Toowoomba. 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 $72.0 in Toowoomba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Toowoomba – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Toowoomba at $2,110. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toowoomba 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 $2,110 in Toowoomba. 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, Toowoomba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.