Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Louis and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $830 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$830

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $830 per month in Saint-Louis vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Louis $830
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,322 per month in Saint-Louis vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Louis $1,322
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,815 per month in Saint-Louis vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint-Louis $1,815
Nosara $3,712

Saint-Louis is about 55% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint-Louis sits 38% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 F CFA 2,045

$12.22 ₡5,509

-71.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-12.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 F CFA 6,516

$7.54 ₡3,399

47.88%

Cappuccino

$3.35 F CFA 1,961

$4.31 ₡1,941

-22.27%

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

$1.25 F CFA 728

$1.72 ₡773

-27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 508

$1.35 ₡608

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 F CFA 1,025

$3.24 ₡1,459

-45.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 F CFA 2,553

$4.48 ₡2,018

-2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 F CFA 1,458

$1.57 ₡707

58.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.27 F CFA 159

$3.17 ₡1,429

-91.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 F CFA 980

$2.42 ₡1,091

-30.58%

Eggs

$2.45 F CFA 1,431

$3.57 ₡1,609

-31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.14 F CFA 10.0K

$7.43 ₡3,349

130.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 F CFA 5,117

$10.42 ₡4,697

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.00 F CFA 6,432

$13.66 ₡6,156

-19.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 F CFA 1,826

$2.32 ₡1,044

34.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 F CFA 1,142

$1.61 ₡728

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 F CFA 1,670

$4.74 ₡2,138

-39.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,010

$1.66 ₡747

4.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 F CFA 787

$3.72 ₡1,679

-63.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 F CFA 573

$3.57 ₡1,611

-72.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 F CFA 630

$1.10 ₡497

-1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 F CFA 410

$2.55 ₡1,149

-72.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 F CFA 1,241

$4.95 ₡2,232

-57.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.91 F CFA 9,885

$20.01 ₡9,020

-15.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 F CFA 895

$2.79 ₡1,256

-45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 F CFA 1,968

$3.53 ₡1,589

-4.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 F CFA 522

$2.24 ₡1,011

-60.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 F CFA 1,241

$1.55 ₡701

36.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 F CFA 10.1K

$8.86 ₡3,993

95.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 991

$1.57 ₡708

8.28%

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

$50.9K F CFA 29.7M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

133.39%

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

$48.6K F CFA 28.4M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

40.27%

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

$206 F CFA 120.7K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

120.92%

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

$11.46 F CFA 6,701

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.89 F CFA 27.4K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-8.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 F CFA 5,048

$7.84 ₡3,535

10.20%

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

$320 F CFA 186.8K

$490 ₡220.7K

-34.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-12.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 F CFA 34.4K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.28 F CFA 26.5K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-18.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 F CFA 50.0K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 F CFA 55.5K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 F CFA 254.2K

$786 ₡354.3K

-44.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

8.62

1.51%

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

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Louis

$287 34.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 21.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Louis

$265 31.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 32% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 6% $7.7

Eating Out

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 64.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 404% $70

Getting Around

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 655% $75

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Louis

- * 0%

Nosara

$780 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $435 in Saint-Louis 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Saint-Louis versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $350 – making Saint-Louis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

6 h behind Saint-Louis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,000

4,912

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 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 = 1.53 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

Saint-Louis Nosara 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Louis
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

Saint-Louis vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $830 in Saint-Louis, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,245 per month in Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis, 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 $53.0 in Saint-Louis and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 Saint-Louis, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Saint-Louis 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 $830 in Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis. 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.