Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $577 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Zanzibar

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $577 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Zanzibar $577

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $857 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Zanzibar $857

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,137 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Zanzibar $1,137

Nosara costs about 218% more than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Zanzibar is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.78 TZS 12.5K

155.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$21.74 TZS 57.0K

176.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.54 TZS 14.5K

36.10%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.21 TZS 5,810

95.02%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.60 TZS 1,568

186.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.33 TZS 874

309.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.91 TZS 4,999

69.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.72 TZS 7,135

64.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.04 TZS 5,357

-23.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.72 TZS 1,902

340.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.83 TZS 2,185

191.57%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.68 TZS 7,044

33.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

-1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.21 TZS 5,803

371.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.12 TZS 16.1K

123.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.86 TZS 7,493

-18.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.11 TZS 2,918

45.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.75 TZS 1,967

532.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.59 TZS 1,556

181.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.98 TZS 2,581

279.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.48 TZS 3,871

141.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.75 TZS 1,960

46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.49 TZS 1,283

420.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.06 TZS 5,403

140.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.28 TZS 24.4K

115.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.54 TZS 4,043

81.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.31 TZS 3,428

169.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.31 TZS 817

283.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.70 TZS 9,701

-39.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.79 TZS 2,073

96.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.62 TZS 6,862

238.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.27 TZS 3,339

23.62%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$48.8K TZS 128.0M

-29.02%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$73.3 TZS 192.4K

27.45%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$11.35 TZS 29.8K

209.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$49.97 TZS 131.1K

3.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$29.66 TZS 77.8K

140.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.71 TZS 25.5K

-19.26%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$12.93 TZS 33.9K

314.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$17.28 TZS 45.3K

222.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$15.25 TZS 40.0K

419.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$13.08 TZS 34.3K

502.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$149 TZS 389.9K

428.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$99.0 TZS 259.8K

687.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$201 TZS 528.4K

1816.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$150 TZS 393.4K

838.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$37.6K TZS 98.6M

-81.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-89.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$313 TZS 820.4K

180.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Zanzibar

$99 17% 87.3% $681

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Zanzibar

$164 28.2% 53% $185

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2% 52.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Zanzibar

$135 23.1% 25.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 78.1% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zanzibar

$49 8.4% 43.6% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5% 89.8% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $149 in Zanzibar. 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 180% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $22.00 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $164 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

709,809

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,943 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Zanzibar 13,940 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Zanzibar

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 Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $577 in Zanzibar – roughly 218% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $865 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zanzibar, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $22.00 in Zanzibar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $577 in Zanzibar. That's a gap of about 218%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $577, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Zanzibar 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 $577 in Zanzibar to $1,837 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 Zanzibar. 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.