Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockhampton and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,985 in Rockhampton, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Rockhampton
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Rockhampton Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rockhampton

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,985

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,985 per month in Rockhampton vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockhampton $1,985
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,201 per month in Rockhampton vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockhampton $3,201
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,418 per month in Rockhampton vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockhampton $4,418
Nosara $3,818

Rockhampton costs about 8% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rockhampton and Nosara sit above the global median – Rockhampton by 47%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.54 A$29.56

$12.35 ₡5,539

66.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 A$122

$61.2 ₡27.4K

38.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 A$13.92

$7.52 ₡3,373

28.72%

Cappuccino

$5.00 A$7.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

13.38%

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

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.74 ₡780

36.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 A$3.89

$1.31 ₡587

106.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 A$11.26

$3.28 ₡1,471

138.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 A$8.95

$4.47 ₡2,004

39.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 A$3.23

$1.56 ₡701

43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 A$3.17

$3.02 ₡1,355

-27.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 A$2.99

$2.51 ₡1,125

-17.13%

Eggs

$3.65 A$5.26

$3.57 ₡1,603

2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 A$9.57

$7.43 ₡3,333

-10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 A$15.65

$10.52 ₡4,717

3.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 A$22.60

$13.97 ₡6,265

12.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.85

$2.35 ₡1,052

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 A$3.07

$1.61 ₡720

32.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 A$2.67

$4.80 ₡2,152

-61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.75

$1.61 ₡724

191.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.94

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.26

$3.69 ₡1,657

-38.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 A$2.69

$1.13 ₡507

65.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.66 ₡1,191

-19.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.22 A$53.6

$5.18 ₡2,321

618.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 A$21.86

$19.88 ₡8,916

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 A$8.63

$3.63 ₡1,626

65.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.12 ₡504

48.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 A$93.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-10.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 A$4.85

$2.14 ₡958

57.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 A$2.64

$1.57 ₡703

17.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.56 A$56.9

$8.52 ₡3,823

364.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.79

$1.52 ₡682

-17.76%

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

$29.3K A$42.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

35.40%

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

$22.8K A$32.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.02%

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

$206 A$296

$96.3 ₡43.2K

113.51%

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

$23.90 A$34.39

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-33.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 A$96.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

24.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.23 A$57.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.72 A$19.74

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.72 A$22.62

$7.89 ₡3,539

99.24%

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

$1,739 A$2,502

$494 ₡221.6K

251.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,479 A$9,323

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-45.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 A$177

$53.9 ₡24.2K

128.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 A$86.7

$55.4 ₡24.8K

8.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 A$204

$77.9 ₡34.9K

81.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.5 A$88.5

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 A$1,175

$788 ₡353.4K

3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 A$985

$794 ₡356.2K

-13.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 A$2,347

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 A$2,179

$1,419 ₡636.5K

6.70%

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)

$3,321 A$4,779

$864 ₡387.3K

284.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

8.62

-27.26%

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

Last update for Rockhampton: 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

Rockhampton

$685 34.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 16% $110

Groceries & Markets

Rockhampton

$349 17.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1% $3.5

Eating Out

Rockhampton

$325 16.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockhampton

$296 14.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 37.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Rockhampton

$174 8.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31% $54

Getting Around

Rockhampton

$84 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3.9% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rockhampton

$72 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Rockhampton 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 285% higher in Rockhampton, 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 Rockhampton versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in Rockhampton vs $352 in Nosara – so Rockhampton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Rockhampton

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

16 h behind Rockhampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,151

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rockhampton Nosara 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockhampton
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

Rockhampton vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,985 in Rockhampton, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,977 per month in Rockhampton 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 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 12% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,739 per month in Rockhampton and $494 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 $1,839, than in Rockhampton at $1,985. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rockhampton 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $1,985 in Rockhampton. 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, Rockhampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.