Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ouagadougou and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouagadougou: $1,164 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ouagadougou
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Ouagadougou Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ouagadougou

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

$1,164

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ouagadougou 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 Ouagadougou and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Ouagadougou vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Ouagadougou $1,164
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Ouagadougou vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Ouagadougou $1,917
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,669 per month in Ouagadougou vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Ouagadougou $2,669
Nosara $3,712

Ouagadougou is about 37% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ouagadougou sits 13% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.38 F CFA 4,317

$12.22 ₡5,509

-39.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 F CFA 14.8K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-57.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 F CFA 4,167

$7.54 ₡3,399

-5.57%

Cappuccino

$1.97 F CFA 1,152

$4.31 ₡1,941

-54.29%

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

$1.06 F CFA 623

$1.72 ₡773

-38.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 F CFA 644

$1.35 ₡608

-18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 F CFA 708

$3.24 ₡1,459

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 F CFA 1,528

$4.48 ₡2,018

-41.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 F CFA 1,198

$1.57 ₡707

30.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 F CFA 665

$3.17 ₡1,429

-64.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 F CFA 491

$2.42 ₡1,091

-65.29%

Eggs

$2.59 F CFA 1,517

$3.57 ₡1,609

-27.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.20 F CFA 10.1K

$7.43 ₡3,349

131.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.26 F CFA 11.9K

$10.42 ₡4,697

94.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 F CFA 8,638

$13.66 ₡6,156

8.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 F CFA 2,679

$2.32 ₡1,044

97.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 F CFA 1,957

$4.74 ₡2,138

-29.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 F CFA 2,301

$1.66 ₡747

136.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 F CFA 939

$3.72 ₡1,679

-56.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 977

$3.57 ₡1,611

-53.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 F CFA 765

$1.10 ₡497

19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 F CFA 756

$2.55 ₡1,149

-49.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 F CFA 801

$4.95 ₡2,232

-72.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.96 F CFA 3,487

$20.01 ₡9,020

-70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 F CFA 813

$2.79 ₡1,256

-50.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 F CFA 1,485

$3.53 ₡1,589

-28.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 F CFA 87.9

$1.19 ₡537

-87.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 F CFA 284

$2.24 ₡1,011

-78.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 F CFA 494

$1.55 ₡701

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 F CFA 4,870

$8.86 ₡3,993

-6.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 F CFA 826

$1.57 ₡708

-10.19%

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

$36.8K F CFA 21.5M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

68.93%

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

$30.9K F CFA 18.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-10.82%

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

$181 F CFA 105.6K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

93.19%

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

$25.90 F CFA 15.2K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-26.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 F CFA 31.3K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

3.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 F CFA 35.0K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-16.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.33 F CFA 4,875

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-76.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 F CFA 4,109

$7.84 ₡3,535

-10.46%

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

$34.66 F CFA 20.3K

$490 ₡220.7K

-92.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,978 F CFA 3.5M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-49.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.51 F CFA 20.2K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-35.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 F CFA 30.5K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-6.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 F CFA 49.4K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 F CFA 59.1K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 F CFA 197.9K

$786 ₡354.3K

-56.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 F CFA 133.0K

$780 ₡351.6K

-70.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 F CFA 770.5K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-65.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 F CFA 425.7K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-48.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$842 F CFA 492.8K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-87.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$252 F CFA 147.2K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-79.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 F CFA 344.3K

$876 ₡395.0K

-32.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

39.21%

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

Last update for Ouagadougou: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ouagadougou

$352 * 30.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0.6% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ouagadougou

$260 22.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 30.7% $80

Accommodation & Living

Ouagadougou

$227 19.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 243% $552

Eating Out

Ouagadougou

$124 10.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 69% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Ouagadougou

$123 10.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 1.8% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ouagadougou

$74 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18% $13

Getting Around

Ouagadougou

$5.3 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1536% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $338 in Ouagadougou versus $786 in Nosara. 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 49% 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 $25.00 in Ouagadougou versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Ouagadougou vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇫 Ouagadougou

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

01:13 1:13 AM

6 h behind Ouagadougou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,915,102 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

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).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ouagadougou Nosara 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ouagadougou
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

Ouagadougou vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,164 in Ouagadougou, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,747 per month in Ouagadougou and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ouagadougou, 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 $25.00 in Ouagadougou and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ouagadougou, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Ouagadougou 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 $1,164 in Ouagadougou 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 Ouagadougou. 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.