Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,182 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 21.3% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 35.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 33.2% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 32% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 R 176

$12.22 ₡5,509

-12.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.40 R 683

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-31.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 R 92.4

$7.54 ₡3,399

-25.73%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.63

$4.31 ₡1,941

-47.10%

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

$1.16 R 19.17

$1.72 ₡773

-32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.22

$1.35 ₡608

-31.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.40

$3.24 ₡1,459

-24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 R 48.69

$4.48 ₡2,018

-34.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.63

$1.57 ₡707

-24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.42

$3.17 ₡1,429

-64.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.58

$2.42 ₡1,091

-26.03%

Eggs

$2.48 R 40.88

$3.57 ₡1,609

-30.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 R 133

$7.43 ₡3,349

8.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 R 84.7

$10.42 ₡4,697

-50.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 R 129

$13.66 ₡6,156

-42.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.32 ₡1,044

-19.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$1.61 ₡728

3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.15

$4.74 ₡2,138

-62.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.67

$1.66 ₡747

8.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$3.57 ₡1,611

-57.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.16

$1.10 ₡497

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.97

$2.55 ₡1,149

-57.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 53.2

$4.95 ₡2,232

-34.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 R 81.3

$20.01 ₡9,020

-75.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.47

$2.79 ₡1,256

-46.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R 33.09

$3.53 ₡1,589

-43.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.19 ₡537

34.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 R 1,001

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-15.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 17.98

$2.24 ₡1,011

-51.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 R 16.23

$1.55 ₡701

-36.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R 122

$8.86 ₡3,993

-16.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.63

$1.57 ₡708

-5.10%

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

$35.0K R 578.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

60.75%

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

$31.6K R 521.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-8.80%

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

$131 R 2,168

$93.5 ₡42.1K

40.63%

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

$34.71 R 573

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-1.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.94 R 659

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-22.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.88 R 559

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-52.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 R 188

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-67.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 121

$7.84 ₡3,535

-6.76%

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

$225 R 3,715

$490 ₡220.7K

-54.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,485 R 90.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-53.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 R 858

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 R 549

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-40.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 R 1,640

$79.3 ₡35.7K

25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,441

$78.9 ₡35.6K

10.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,918

$786 ₡354.3K

-38.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,692

$780 ₡351.6K

-47.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-75.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 R 13.1K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-43.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,111 R 18.3K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-84.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 R 12.8K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-35.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,476 R 24.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

68.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

8.62

30.28%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$406 33.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 92.3% $374

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$206 17.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 12.6% $26

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 78.6% $154

Eating Out

South Africa

$156 12.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 34.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$122 10.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 1.7% $2.1

Getting Around

South Africa

$73 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$49 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 79.5% $39

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

21:40 9:40 PM

8 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

4,912

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

South Africa Nosara 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
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

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Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Nosara

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Nosara

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Nosara

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