Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plettenberg Bay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Plettenberg Bay: $1,124 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Plettenberg Bay
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Plettenberg Bay Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Plettenberg Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,124

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,124 per month in Plettenberg Bay vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Plettenberg Bay $1,124
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Plettenberg Bay vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Plettenberg Bay $1,821
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,518 per month in Plettenberg Bay vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Plettenberg Bay $2,518
Nosara $3,818

Plettenberg Bay is about 39% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Plettenberg Bay sits 17% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 R 177

$12.35 ₡5,539

-12.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.02 R 692

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-31.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.52 ₡3,373

-19.55%

Cappuccino

$2.07 R 34.05

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.06%

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

$1.02 R 16.74

$1.74 ₡780

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.79

$1.31 ₡587

-40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 R 43.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 33.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

-53.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.14

$1.56 ₡701

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.25

$3.02 ₡1,355

-65.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.91

$2.51 ₡1,125

-39.84%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.07

$3.57 ₡1,603

-21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R 140

$7.43 ₡3,333

14.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 R 90.3

$10.52 ₡4,717

-47.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.79 R 145

$13.97 ₡6,265

-37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.07

$2.35 ₡1,052

-25.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.64

$1.61 ₡720

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.67

$4.80 ₡2,152

-72.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.37

$1.61 ₡724

-8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-71.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 R 16.06

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 R 13.95

$1.13 ₡507

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.08

$2.66 ₡1,191

-60.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 45.53

$5.18 ₡2,321

-46.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R 78.2

$19.88 ₡8,916

-76.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.12

$2.90 ₡1,300

-55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.00

$3.63 ₡1,626

-49.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.17

$1.12 ₡504

36.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.14

$2.14 ₡958

-71.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.20

$1.57 ₡703

-68.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 R 60.1

$8.52 ₡3,823

-57.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.52 ₡682

-7.89%

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

$35.4K R 583.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.00%

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

$29.5K R 485.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.62%

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

$121 R 1,990

$96.3 ₡43.2K

25.44%

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

$34.31 R 565

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.85 R 722

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-18.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.18 R 514

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.23 R 20.20

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-96.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 R 102

$7.89 ₡3,539

-21.67%

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

$153 R 2,529

$494 ₡221.6K

-68.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,033 R 99.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-49.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.01 R 725

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-18.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 R 617

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,848

$77.9 ₡34.9K

43.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 R 1,609

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R 11.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-14.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,563

$794 ₡356.2K

-49.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 R 22.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$920 R 15.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-35.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,145 R 35.3K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-68.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,495 R 24.6K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

22.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,379 R 22.7K

$864 ₡387.3K

59.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.44

8.62

21.11%

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

Last update for Plettenberg Bay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plettenberg Bay

$398 35.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 99.4% $396

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plettenberg Bay

$199 17.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 6.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Plettenberg Bay

$189 16.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 86.5% $163

Eating Out

Plettenberg Bay

$154 13.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 38% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Plettenberg Bay

$131 11.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Plettenberg Bay

$44 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 101% $44

Getting Around

Plettenberg Bay

$9.2 * 0.8%

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 $677 in Plettenberg Bay 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.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Plettenberg Bay, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Plettenberg Bay versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $352 – making Plettenberg Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Plettenberg Bay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

20:36 8:36 PM

8 h behind Plettenberg Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,126

4,912

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plettenberg Bay Nosara 12,370 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Plettenberg Bay
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

Plettenberg Bay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,124 in Plettenberg Bay, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,685 per month in Plettenberg Bay 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 Plettenberg Bay, 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 $42.00 in Plettenberg Bay 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 86% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Plettenberg Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,124, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Plettenberg Bay 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 $1,124 in Plettenberg Bay 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 Plettenberg Bay. 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.