Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Uitenhage

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,167 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
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Uitenhage Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Uitenhage

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,167 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Uitenhage $1,167

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,832 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Uitenhage $1,832

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,497 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Uitenhage $2,497

Nosara costs about 57% more than Uitenhage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Uitenhage is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$10.99 R 181

12.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$43.28 R 713

41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$5.88 R 96.9

31.97%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.17 R 35.83

104.61%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.06 R 17.38

68.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.73 R 12.00

76.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.68 R 44.15

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.25 R 53.5

36.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.17 R 19.29

32.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.81 R 13.36

280.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.52 R 25.02

66.45%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.84 R 46.76

21.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$8.91 R 147

-17.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$5.35 R 88.2

91.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$8.73 R 144

61.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.20 R 36.29

4.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.51 R 24.85

8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.69 R 27.80

183.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.82 R 29.92

-9.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.77 R 29.08

117.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.45 R 23.94

158.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.30 R 21.50

-16.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.02 R 16.84

153.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$3.12 R 51.4

64.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$3.68 R 60.6

441.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.28 R 21.16

118.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.82 R 29.97

93.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.51 R 24.95

-19.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.60 R 9.82

261.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.51 R 8.41

205.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.68 R 143

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.49 R 24.50

4.03%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.6K R 587.1K

-3.05%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$35.0K R 577.1K

10.63%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$125 R 2,066

-24.38%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$35.55 R 586

1.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$45.37 R 747

16.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$30.09 R 496

145.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$12.05 R 199

195.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$10.55 R 174

-25.02%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$179 R 2,955

173.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,248 R 102.9K

90.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$72.6 R 1,196

-24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$38.39 R 632

45.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$114 R 1,873

-29.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.2 R 1,584

-19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$443 R 7,304

80.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$401 R 6,606

96.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$646 R 10.6K

520.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$798 R 13.1K

76.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$897 R 14.8K

687.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$740 R 12.2K

67.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.94

-27.81%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Uitenhage: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Uitenhage

$401 34.4% 49.2% $389

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Uitenhage

$196 16.8% 44% $154

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Uitenhage

$159 13.6% 25.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Uitenhage

$206 17.7% 12.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Uitenhage

$144 12.4% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Uitenhage

$51 4.4% 42.9% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Uitenhage

$9.2 * 0.8% 89.6% $80

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 $443 in Uitenhage. 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 $43.00 in Uitenhage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $196 – making Uitenhage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

19:42 7:42 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

103,639

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Uitenhage 12,560 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Uitenhage

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 Uitenhage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,167 in Uitenhage – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,750 in Uitenhage. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uitenhage, 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 $43.00 in Uitenhage. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Uitenhage, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Uitenhage 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 $1,167 in Uitenhage 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 Uitenhage. 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.