Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Westonaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Westonaria: $1,085 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Westonaria
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Westonaria Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Westonaria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Westonaria

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,085 in Westonaria, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Westonaria $1,085

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,680 in Westonaria, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Westonaria $1,680

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,276 in Westonaria, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Westonaria $2,276

Nosara costs about 69% more than Westonaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Westonaria is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$9.17 R 151

34.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$36.62 R 603

67.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.53 R 91.2

35.99%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.71 R 28.17

157.89%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.03 R 16.95

68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.88 R 14.50

48.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.75 R 28.85

87.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.63 R 43.38

69.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.16 R 19.04

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.07 R 17.60

182.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.82 R 29.92

37.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.49 R 40.98

43.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.25 R 136

-9.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.95 R 81.5

112.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.38 R 122

89.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.80 R 29.57

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.60 R 26.33

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.80 R 29.68

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.55 R 25.62

3.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.07 R 17.56

255.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.20 R 19.84

207.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.17 R 19.31

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.33 R 21.99

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.20 R 52.7

61.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.07 R 83.5

292.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.50 R 24.74

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.95 R 32.06

86.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.51 R 24.89

-25.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.29 R 4.72

637.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.81 R 13.30

93.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.66 R 242

-41.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.53 R 25.25

-0.65%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.3K R 582.3K

-38.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.0K R 559.7K

1.61%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$150 R 2,476

-35.93%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$36.53 R 602

-1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.20 R 596

48.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.68 R 522

125.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$10.73 R 177

225.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.34 R 121

7.49%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$258 R 4,250

91.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,407 R 89.1K

119.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.1 R 875

1.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$32.63 R 538

69.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$93.2 R 1,536

-16.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$82.7 R 1,362

-3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$397 R 6,538

98.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$363 R 5,980

118.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$731 R 12.0K

438.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$732 R 12.1K

93.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$881 R 14.5K

684.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$653 R 10.8K

87.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.34

-23.99%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Westonaria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Westonaria

$363 33.5% 54.3% $431

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Westonaria

$192 17.7% 45.4% $160

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Westonaria

$132 12.2% 37.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Westonaria

$223 20.6% 20.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Westonaria

$118 10.9% 2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Westonaria

$46 4.3% 46.9% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Westonaria

$10 * 1% 88.1% $77

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 $397 in Westonaria. 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 $37.00 in Westonaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $192 – making Westonaria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇿🇦 Westonaria

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

14:14 2:14 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

156,831

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Westonaria 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Westonaria

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 Westonaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,085 in Westonaria – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,628 in Westonaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Westonaria, 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 $37.00 in Westonaria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% 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 Westonaria, where all-in costs run around $1,085, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Westonaria 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 $1,085 in Westonaria 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 Westonaria. 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.