Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,040 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,040

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,040 per month in Perth vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Perth $3,040
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Perth vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Perth $4,133
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,226 per month in Perth vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Perth $5,226
Nosara $3,712

Perth costs about 65% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Perth and Nosara sit above the global median – Perth by 127%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 A$28.90

$12.22 ₡5,509

64.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$122

$60.2 ₡27.1K

41.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 A$15.05

$7.54 ₡3,399

38.99%

Cappuccino

$4.47 A$6.43

$4.31 ₡1,941

3.71%

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

$2.85 A$4.09

$1.72 ₡773

65.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.15

$1.35 ₡608

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 A$11.78

$3.24 ₡1,459

153.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 A$11.77

$4.48 ₡2,018

82.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.55

$1.57 ₡707

12.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 A$4.58

$3.17 ₡1,429

0.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.82

$2.42 ₡1,091

-18.60%

Eggs

$5.22 A$7.49

$3.57 ₡1,609

46.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.97

$7.43 ₡3,349

21.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 A$13.08

$10.42 ₡4,697

-12.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 A$19.86

$13.66 ₡6,156

1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 A$6.68

$2.32 ₡1,044

100.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.49

$1.61 ₡728

94.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 A$4.90

$4.74 ₡2,138

-28.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 A$7.12

$1.66 ₡747

198.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.06

$3.72 ₡1,679

-23.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 A$2.79

$3.57 ₡1,611

-45.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.24

$1.10 ₡497

105.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.94

$2.55 ₡1,149

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$61.0

$4.95 ₡2,232

758.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 A$18.19

$20.01 ₡9,020

-36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.28 A$6.14

$2.79 ₡1,256

53.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 A$4.91

$3.53 ₡1,589

-3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.19 ₡537

105.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.3 A$141

$72.1 ₡32.5K

36.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.09

$2.24 ₡1,011

58.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.10

$1.55 ₡701

-5.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$58.5

$8.86 ₡3,993

360.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.57 ₡708

-14.01%

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

$27.3K A$39.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

25.19%

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

$29.5K A$42.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-14.80%

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

$198 A$284

$93.5 ₡42.1K

111.43%

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

$33.36 A$47.92

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-4.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 A$90.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

22.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 A$82.3

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-19.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.56 A$30.97

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-39.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.16 A$24.64

$7.84 ₡3,535

118.88%

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

$2,277 A$3,271

$490 ₡220.7K

365.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K A$32.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

91.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 A$110

$53.5 ₡24.1K

43.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.2 A$92.2

$55.8 ₡25.1K

15.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$79.3 ₡35.7K

54.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$237

$78.9 ₡35.6K

109.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 A$2,788

$786 ₡354.3K

146.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 A$2,363

$780 ₡351.6K

110.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,736 A$3,930

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-29.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,097

$1,407 ₡634.4K

53.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,449 A$12.1K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

21.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,054 A$8,696

$1,201 ₡541.3K

404.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,280 A$6,147

$876 ₡395.0K

388.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.89

8.62

-31.67%

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

Last update for Perth: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 54.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 52.6% $865

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$364 12%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 4% $14

Eating Out

Perth

$324 10.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 35.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$294 9.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 38.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 37.5% $72

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$92 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.9% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,941 in Perth 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 388% higher in Perth, 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 $85.0 in Perth versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

20:47 8:47 PM

14 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Nosara 16,720 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
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

Perth vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,040 in Perth, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,560 per month in Perth 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,277 per month in Perth and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Perth at $3,040. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perth 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $3,040 in Perth. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Perth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.