Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $744 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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 Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Vacoas

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $744 in Vacoas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Vacoas $744

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,097 in Vacoas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Vacoas $1,097

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,449 in Vacoas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Vacoas $1,449

Nosara costs about 147% more than Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Vacoas is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.89 MUR 277

109.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.22 MUR 1,470

95.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.20 MUR 292

21.29%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.61 MUR 123

68.97%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.12 MUR 52.9

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.63 MUR 29.80

107.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.56 MUR 121

28.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.71 MUR 175

20.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.45 MUR 68.5

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.73 MUR 34.35

313.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.15 MUR 54.1

118.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.28 MUR 107

56.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$2.70 MUR 127

175.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.55 MUR 120

312.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.16 MUR 525

25.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.56 MUR 120

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.15 MUR 101

-25.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.44 MUR 67.9

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.03 MUR 143

-46.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.99 MUR 46.66

283.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.96 MUR 45.20

284.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.73 MUR 34.16

54.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.67 MUR 31.34

297.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.18 MUR 291

-16.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.20 MUR 292

220.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.44 MUR 67.8

101.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.33 MUR 110

55.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.32 MUR 62.2

-15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.27 MUR 201

-49.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.18 MUR 150

-50.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.33 MUR 204

96.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 MUR 62.9

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.9K MUR 1.4M

-25.28%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

10.33%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$44.98 MUR 2,117

114.07%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.35 MUR 487

246.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.84 MUR 1,169

115.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$25.74 MUR 1,212

178.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.12 MUR 241

54.10%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$125 MUR 5,897

294.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,480 MUR 352.1K

58.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$31.95 MUR 1,504

68.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$37.68 MUR 1,774

47.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$63.2 MUR 2,976

23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$47.93 MUR 2,257

66.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$265 MUR 12.5K

197.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$220 MUR 10.4K

260.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$471 MUR 22.2K

736.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$236 MUR 11.1K

501.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$690 MUR 32.5K

25.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.67

29.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vacoas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Vacoas

$220 29.6% 72.3% $574

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Vacoas

$177 23.7% 49.9% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Vacoas

$124 16.7% 41.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Vacoas

$80 10.8% 56.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Vacoas

$81 10.9% 32.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 58.8% $51

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Vacoas

$25 * 3.4% 70.8% $62

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 $265 in Vacoas. 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 25% 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 $31.00 in Vacoas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $177 – making Vacoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

20:44 8:44 PM

10 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

115,289

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Vacoas 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $744 in Vacoas – roughly 147% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,116 in Vacoas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vacoas, 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 $31.00 in Vacoas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 100% 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 Vacoas, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vacoas 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 $744 in Vacoas to $1,839 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 Vacoas. 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.