Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stilbaai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,148 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,148

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,148 per month in Stilbaai vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Stilbaai $1,148
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Stilbaai vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Stilbaai $1,832
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Stilbaai vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Stilbaai $2,516
Nosara $3,818

Stilbaai is about 38% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Stilbaai sits 15% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 R 196

$12.35 ₡5,539

-3.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.22 R 761

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 R 100

$7.52 ₡3,373

-18.88%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.28

$4.41 ₡1,978

-46.03%

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

$1.26 R 20.84

$1.74 ₡780

-27.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.77

$1.31 ₡587

-26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 R 48.65

$3.28 ₡1,471

-10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R 59.1

$4.47 ₡2,004

-19.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R 22.74

$1.56 ₡701

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.69

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.30

$2.51 ₡1,125

-12.35%

Eggs

$2.97 R 48.89

$3.57 ₡1,603

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 R 147

$7.43 ₡3,333

20.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 R 114

$10.52 ₡4,717

-34.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R 158

$13.97 ₡6,265

-31.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.62

$2.35 ₡1,052

-18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.00

$1.61 ₡720

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.23

$4.80 ₡2,152

-65.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.61 ₡724

32.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.57

$3.80 ₡1,703

-59.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.20

$3.69 ₡1,657

-60.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.04

$1.13 ₡507

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.49

$2.66 ₡1,191

-55.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 R 58.7

$5.18 ₡2,321

-31.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 R 98.4

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.71

$2.90 ₡1,300

-54.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 R 35.46

$3.63 ₡1,626

-40.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.38

$1.12 ₡504

32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.68

$2.14 ₡958

-72.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.57 ₡703

-2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 R 83.6

$8.52 ₡3,823

-40.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.00

$1.52 ₡682

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

$35.0K R 577.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.06%

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

$31.2K R 513.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.69%

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

$114 R 1,883

$96.3 ₡43.2K

18.69%

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

$28.76 R 474

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-19.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.29 R 647

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-26.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.60 R 521

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.58 R 174

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-69.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 145

$7.89 ₡3,539

11.91%

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

$267 R 4,405

$494 ₡221.6K

-45.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,885 R 113.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-41.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 R 928

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 R 540

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-40.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,981

$77.9 ₡34.9K

54.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,726

$79.6 ₡35.7K

31.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 R 6,374

$788 ₡353.4K

-50.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 R 5,973

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 R 12.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$864 R 14.2K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-87.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 R 10.9K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-45.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

8.62

27.26%

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

Last update for Stilbaai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stilbaai

$363 31.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 119% $432

Groceries & Markets

Stilbaai

$226 19.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 56.2% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stilbaai

$182 15.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.9% $3.4

Eating Out

Stilbaai

$173 15.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Stilbaai

$141 12.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Stilbaai

$49 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 77.4% $38

Getting Around

Stilbaai

$14 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 516% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $387 in Stilbaai 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Stilbaai versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $352 – making Stilbaai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

20:35 8:35 PM

8 h behind Stilbaai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Stilbaai Nosara 12,190 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Stilbaai
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

Stilbaai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,148 in Stilbaai, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,722 per month in Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai, 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 $46.00 in Stilbaai 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 56% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stilbaai, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Stilbaai 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 $1,148 in Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai. 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.