Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Xai-Xai

For one person, living is cheaper in Xai-Xai: $680 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Xai-Xai
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Xai-Xai Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Xai-Xai

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$680

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Xai-Xai

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $680 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Xai-Xai $680

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,143 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Xai-Xai $1,143

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,607 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Xai-Xai $1,607

Nosara costs about 170% more than Xai-Xai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Xai-Xai is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.00 MZN 632

23.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$62.2 MZN 3,932

-1.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.29 MZN 461

3.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.25 MZN 142

96.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.86 MZN 54.6

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.70 MZN 44.08

87.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.54 MZN 97.6

112.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.37 MZN 150

88.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.52 MZN 96.1

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.03 MZN 65.4

193.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.59 MZN 101

57.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.43 MZN 154

46.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$21.25 MZN 1,344

-65.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.69 MZN 360

84.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$5.55 MZN 351

151.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.99 MZN 126

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.76 MZN 48.08

111.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.63 MZN 103

194.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.05 MZN 66.2

53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.01 MZN 63.7

276.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.79 MZN 50.2

367.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.93 MZN 58.9

21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.86 MZN 54.5

209.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.74 MZN 174

89.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.08 MZN 638

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.99 MZN 62.5

192.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.28 MZN 81.1

183.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.55 MZN 98.0

38.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.19 MZN 75.4

31.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$24.71 MZN 1,563

-65.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.41 MZN 89.4

7.80%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.1K MZN 2.0M

-32.76%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

51.23%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$70.5 MZN 4,459

36.58%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.86 MZN 497

356.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$88.5 MZN 5,597

-39.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.01 MZN 507

-1.50%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$129 MZN 8,179

282.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,214 MZN 329.8K

127.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$49.93 MZN 3,158

8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$56.0 MZN 3,541

-1.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.1 MZN 4,938

-0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$80.1 MZN 5,065

-0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-65.52%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Xai-Xai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Xai-Xai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Xai-Xai

$223 32.8% 36.7% $129

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Xai-Xai

$148 21.7% 30.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Xai-Xai

$167 24.5% 10.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Xai-Xai

$119 17.5% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Xai-Xai

$16 * 2.4% 81.7% $71

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Xai-Xai

$7.5 * 1.1% 91.4% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $62.0 in Xai-Xai. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $223 in Xai-Xai – so Xai-Xai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇿 Xai-Xai

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

02:18 2:18 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

116,343

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, 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).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Xai-Xai 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Xai-Xai

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 Xai-Xai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $680 in Xai-Xai – roughly 170% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,020 in Xai-Xai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $62.0 in Xai-Xai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% 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 Xai-Xai, where all-in costs run around $680, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Xai-Xai 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 $680 in Xai-Xai 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 Xai-Xai. 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.