Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Randburg and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,058 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
Learn more

Randburg Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Randburg vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Randburg $1,058
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Randburg vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Randburg $1,714
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,370 per month in Randburg vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Randburg $2,370
Nosara $3,818

Randburg is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Randburg sits 22% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.48 R 173

$12.35 ₡5,539

-15.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.30 R 713

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-29.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 R 88.2

$7.52 ₡3,373

-28.86%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.31%

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

$1.18 R 19.43

$1.74 ₡780

-32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.59

$1.31 ₡587

-32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.84

$3.28 ₡1,471

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 R 51.3

$4.47 ₡2,004

-30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.87

$1.56 ₡701

-14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.79

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.09

$2.51 ₡1,125

-29.48%

Eggs

$2.73 R 45.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

-23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 R 142

$7.43 ₡3,333

15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 R 90.0

$10.52 ₡4,717

-48.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 R 122

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.83

$2.35 ₡1,052

-10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.54

$1.61 ₡720

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.84

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.84

$1.61 ₡724

1.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.30

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 R 26.97

$3.69 ₡1,657

-55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.15

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.92

$2.66 ₡1,191

-52.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$5.18 ₡2,321

-36.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 R 85.9

$19.88 ₡8,916

-73.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.07

$2.90 ₡1,300

-47.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.27

$3.63 ₡1,626

-39.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.18

$2.14 ₡958

-85.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.63

$1.57 ₡703

-43.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 236

$8.52 ₡3,823

67.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.49

$1.52 ₡682

-1.97%

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

$36.0K R 593.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.81%

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

$32.5K R 536.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.74%

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

$150 R 2,479

$96.3 ₡43.2K

56.29%

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

$38.56 R 635

$35.89 ₡16.1K

7.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.13 R 612

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-30.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.40 R 336

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-71.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.63 R 76.3

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-86.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 R 116

$7.89 ₡3,539

-10.77%

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

$262 R 4,320

$494 ₡221.6K

-46.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,581 R 91.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-52.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 R 868

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.09 R 759

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-16.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,825

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 R 1,399

$79.6 ₡35.7K

6.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 R 5,159

$788 ₡353.4K

-60.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 R 4,914

$794 ₡356.2K

-62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 R 10.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-84.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 R 11.8K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-49.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$603 R 9,935

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-91.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,879 R 31.0K

$864 ₡387.3K

117.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

8.62

31.55%

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

Last update for Randburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Randburg

$298 28.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 166% $496

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Randburg

$226 21.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.9% $40

Groceries & Markets

Randburg

$205 19.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 72.1% $148

Eating Out

Randburg

$157 14.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Randburg

$132 12.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Randburg

$34 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 153% $53

Getting Around

Randburg

$4.8 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1734% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Randburg 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 118% higher in Randburg, 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 $43.00 in Randburg versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $352 – making Randburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Randburg

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

8 h behind Randburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,000

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

Randburg Nosara 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Randburg
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

Randburg vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,058 in Randburg, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,587 per month in Randburg 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 Randburg, 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 $43.00 in Randburg 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 72% 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 Randburg, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Randburg 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 $1,058 in Randburg 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 Randburg. 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.