Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southern Cross and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,347 in Southern Cross, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Southern Cross
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Southern Cross Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Southern Cross

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,347

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Southern Cross vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Southern Cross $2,347
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,547 per month in Southern Cross vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Southern Cross $3,547
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,747 per month in Southern Cross vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Southern Cross $4,747
Nosara $3,818

Southern Cross costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southern Cross and Nosara sit above the global median – Southern Cross by 74%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 A$28.30

$12.35 ₡5,539

59.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 A$89.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 A$15.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.89%

Cappuccino

$3.57 A$5.14

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.05%

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

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.74 ₡780

41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 A$2.44

$1.31 ₡587

29.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 A$10.19

$3.28 ₡1,471

115.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$4.47 ₡2,004

83.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.56 ₡701

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.80

$3.02 ₡1,355

-12.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.51 ₡1,125

-13.15%

Eggs

$2.72 A$3.92

$3.57 ₡1,603

-23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.55

$7.43 ₡3,333

26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 A$13.16

$10.52 ₡4,717

-13.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 A$21.13

$13.97 ₡6,265

5.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.51

$2.35 ₡1,052

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$1.61 ₡720

93.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$4.80 ₡2,152

-30.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.61 ₡724

195.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.07

$3.80 ₡1,703

-25.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.43

$3.69 ₡1,657

-35.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.13 ₡507

112.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$2.66 ₡1,191

-44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.77 A$50.0

$5.18 ₡2,321

571.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$20.19

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.63 A$6.67

$2.90 ₡1,300

59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.67

$3.63 ₡1,626

46.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.88

$1.12 ₡504

141.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.3 A$133

$72.6 ₡32.6K

27.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.14 ₡958

40.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.40

$1.57 ₡703

5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.90 A$56.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

356.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.80

$1.52 ₡682

-17.76%

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

$24.1K A$34.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

11.61%

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

$28.1K A$40.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.51%

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

$201 A$289

$96.3 ₡43.2K

108.41%

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

$28.18 A$40.56

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-21.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 A$81.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

5.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 A$71.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-30.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.91 A$25.77

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-48.70%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 A$19.20

$7.89 ₡3,539

69.07%

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

$2,080 A$2,994

$494 ₡221.6K

321.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$25.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

51.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 A$116

$53.9 ₡24.2K

50.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 A$82.2

$55.4 ₡24.8K

3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 A$141

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$79.6 ₡35.7K

65.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 A$1,821

$788 ₡353.4K

60.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 A$1,507

$794 ₡356.2K

31.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 A$3,180

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-43.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$1,419 ₡636.5K

36.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,734 A$8,251

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-17.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,261 A$7,571

$1,224 ₡549.0K

329.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,010 A$10.1K

$864 ₡387.3K

711.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

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

Last update for Southern Cross: 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

Southern Cross

$1K 44.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 24.2% $253

Groceries & Markets

Southern Cross

$357 15.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.3% $4.8

Eating Out

Southern Cross

$300 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southern Cross

$286 12.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 35% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Southern Cross

$166 7.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.5% $46

Getting Around

Southern Cross

$114 4.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 23.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Southern Cross

$76 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,265 in Southern Cross 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 712% higher in Southern Cross, 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 $62.0 in Southern Cross versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Southern Cross

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

14 h behind Southern Cross

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

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

Southern Cross Nosara 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Southern Cross
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

Southern Cross vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,347 in Southern Cross, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,520 per month in Southern Cross 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 27% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,080 per month in Southern Cross 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 Southern Cross at $2,347. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southern Cross 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 $2,347 in Southern Cross. 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, Southern Cross makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.