Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,255 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
Learn more

Sun City Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,255

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,255 per month in Sun City vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sun City $1,255
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,930 per month in Sun City vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sun City $1,930
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,606 per month in Sun City vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sun City $2,606
Nosara $3,818

Sun City is about 32% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sun City sits 7% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 R 197

$12.35 ₡5,539

-3.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.53 R 717

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-28.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 122

$7.52 ₡3,373

-1.60%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R 40.54

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.22%

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

$1.23 R 20.26

$1.74 ₡780

-29.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.34

$1.31 ₡587

-29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R 36.18

$3.28 ₡1,471

-32.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R 45.61

$4.47 ₡2,004

-38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.30

$1.56 ₡701

-13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.14

$3.02 ₡1,355

-57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.18

$2.51 ₡1,125

-29.48%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

-26.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 R 139

$7.43 ₡3,333

13.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 R 93.1

$10.52 ₡4,717

-46.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 R 140

$13.97 ₡6,265

-39.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.58

$2.35 ₡1,052

-10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 30.91

$1.61 ₡720

16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.21

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.93

$1.61 ₡724

31.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.55

$1.13 ₡507

31.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.70

$2.66 ₡1,191

-50.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 55.8

$5.18 ₡2,321

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R 100

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.11

$2.90 ₡1,300

-34.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 39.52

$3.63 ₡1,626

-33.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.54

$1.12 ₡504

33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.44

$2.14 ₡958

-61.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 R 15.01

$1.57 ₡703

-42.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.50 R 239

$8.52 ₡3,823

70.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.59

$1.52 ₡682

-1.97%

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

$35.2K R 579.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.90%

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

$31.5K R 519.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.62%

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

$233 R 3,832

$96.3 ₡43.2K

141.58%

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

$38.09 R 628

$35.89 ₡16.1K

6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.25 R 597

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-32.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 R 530

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-55.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.57 R 174

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-69.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 R 127

$7.89 ₡3,539

-2.53%

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

$246 R 4,052

$494 ₡221.6K

-50.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,459 R 89.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-53.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 957

$53.9 ₡24.2K

7.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.31 R 763

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-16.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,766

$77.9 ₡34.9K

37.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,757

$79.6 ₡35.7K

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,502

$788 ₡353.4K

-49.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 R 5,834

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 R 12.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 R 12.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$890 R 14.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-87.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$658 R 10.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-46.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

8.62

26.57%

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

Last update for Sun City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sun City

$354 28.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 124% $440

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City

$307 24.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.5% $121

Groceries & Markets

Sun City

$219 17.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 60.7% $133

Eating Out

Sun City

$172 13.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City

$143 11.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City

$48 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 83.8% $40

Getting Around

Sun City

$11 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 669% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Sun City 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 $44.00 in Sun City versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $352 – making Sun City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sun City

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

04:38 4:38 AM

8 h behind Sun City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,556

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

Sun City Nosara 12,760 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Sun City
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

Sun City vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,255 in Sun City, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,882 per month in Sun City 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 Sun City, 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 $44.00 in Sun City 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 61% 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 Sun City, where all-in costs run around $1,255, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sun City 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 $1,255 in Sun City 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 Sun City. 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.