Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ongata Rongai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $571 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$571

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ongata Rongai and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ongata Rongai and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $571 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $571
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $880 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $880
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,189 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $1,189
Nosara $3,818

Ongata Rongai is about 69% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ongata Rongai sits 58% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 KES 827

$12.35 ₡5,539

-48.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.02 KES 2,465

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-68.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.23 KES 808

$7.52 ₡3,373

-17.15%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$4.41 ₡1,978

-55.33%

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

$0.32 KES 41.56

$1.74 ₡780

-81.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KES 52.8

$1.31 ₡587

-68.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 KES 304

$3.28 ₡1,471

-28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 KES 359

$4.47 ₡2,004

-38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 KES 57.9

$1.56 ₡701

-71.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.6

$3.02 ₡1,355

-84.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.05%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$3.57 ₡1,603

-62.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 KES 556

$7.43 ₡3,333

-42.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 KES 449

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.55 KES 460

$13.97 ₡6,265

-74.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 KES 161

$2.35 ₡1,052

-47.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 KES 142

$1.61 ₡720

-32.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 KES 147

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 KES 78.6

$1.61 ₡724

-62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 KES 61.4

$3.69 ₡1,657

-87.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 94.1

$1.13 ₡507

-35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 KES 56.7

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 KES 298

$5.18 ₡2,321

-55.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KES 1,184

$19.88 ₡8,916

-54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 KES 295

$2.90 ₡1,300

-21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 KES 365

$3.63 ₡1,626

-22.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$2.14 ₡958

-26.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 KES 198

$1.57 ₡703

-2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 381

$8.52 ₡3,823

-65.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 KES 210

$1.52 ₡682

6.58%

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

$21.6K KES 2.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.11%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-42.10%

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

$55.0 KES 7,130

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-42.88%

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

$14.94 KES 1,938

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 KES 4,522

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-34.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 KES 980

$7.89 ₡3,539

-4.18%

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

$252 KES 32.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K KES 1.6M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.60 KES 3,709

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-46.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.63 KES 3,841

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,913

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.7 KES 7,611

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 KES 19.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-80.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-85.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.5K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-94.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-83.41%

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 %)

14.71

8.62

70.65%

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

Last update for Ongata Rongai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 174% $224

Accommodation & Living

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 585% $678

Eating Out

Ongata Rongai

$114 19.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 86.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 77.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 43.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 478% $72

Getting Around

Ongata Rongai

$9.2 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 845% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Ongata Rongai versus $788 in Nosara. 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 $19.00 in Ongata Rongai versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $129 vs $352 – making Ongata Rongai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

9 h behind Ongata Rongai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,569

4,912

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

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).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ongata Rongai Nosara 13,580 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ongata Rongai
Nosara

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

Ongata Rongai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $571 in Ongata Rongai, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 222% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $856 per month in Ongata Rongai and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ongata Rongai, 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 $19.00 in Ongata Rongai and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 174% 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 Ongata Rongai, where all-in costs run around $571, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ongata Rongai 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 $571 in Ongata Rongai 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 Ongata Rongai. 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.