Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunshine Coast and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,249 in Sunshine Coast, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Sunshine Coast
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Sunshine Coast Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,249

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,249 per month in Sunshine Coast vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sunshine Coast $2,249
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,383 per month in Sunshine Coast vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sunshine Coast $3,383
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,517 per month in Sunshine Coast vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sunshine Coast $4,517
Nosara $3,818

Sunshine Coast costs about 22% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sunshine Coast and Nosara sit above the global median – Sunshine Coast by 67%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.60

$12.35 ₡5,539

38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 A$109

$61.2 ₡27.4K

23.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 A$15.29

$7.52 ₡3,373

41.36%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.95

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.35%

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

$2.75 A$3.96

$1.74 ₡780

58.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 A$3.84

$1.31 ₡587

103.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 A$11.29

$3.28 ₡1,471

139.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.66 A$13.90

$4.47 ₡2,004

116.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.89

$1.56 ₡701

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 A$2.79

$3.02 ₡1,355

-35.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 A$2.87

$2.51 ₡1,125

-20.32%

Eggs

$4.67 A$6.72

$3.57 ₡1,603

30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 A$15.67

$7.43 ₡3,333

46.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 A$11.50

$10.52 ₡4,717

-24.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.85 A$30.00

$13.97 ₡6,265

49.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$2.35 ₡1,052

31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.53

$1.61 ₡720

52.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$4.80 ₡2,152

-36.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 A$5.77

$1.61 ₡724

149.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.95

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 A$2.32

$3.69 ₡1,657

-56.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.13 ₡507

99.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.66 ₡1,191

-15.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.90 A$67.5

$5.18 ₡2,321

805.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 A$22.50

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 A$8.71

$3.63 ₡1,626

66.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 A$2.05

$1.12 ₡504

26.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.59 A$58.4

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 A$3.04

$2.14 ₡958

-0.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 A$2.32

$1.57 ₡703

2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.11 A$52.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

323.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.52 ₡682

-14.47%

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

$31.4K A$45.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

45.29%

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

$30.2K A$43.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.49%

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

$140 A$202

$96.3 ₡43.2K

45.84%

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

$42.80 A$61.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

19.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 A$95.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.61 A$71.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-30.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.54 A$23.80

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-52.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.13

$7.89 ₡3,539

94.93%

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

$2,080 A$2,993

$494 ₡221.6K

320.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 A$91.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

17.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$111 A$160

$55.4 ₡24.8K

100.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 A$142

$77.9 ₡34.9K

26.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 A$144

$79.6 ₡35.7K

25.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 A$1,709

$788 ₡353.4K

50.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 A$1,473

$794 ₡356.2K

28.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 A$2,659

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-53.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 A$2,517

$1,419 ₡636.5K

23.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,633 A$8,106

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-18.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,523

$1,224 ₡549.0K

327.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,483 A$5,012

$864 ₡387.3K

303.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

8.62

-33.29%

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

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunshine Coast

$1K 45.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 22.4% $229

Groceries & Markets

Sunshine Coast

$373 16.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5.4% $20

Eating Out

Sunshine Coast

$299 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunshine Coast

$250 11.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 25.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sunshine Coast

$168 7.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 28.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sunshine Coast

$80 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.7% $7

Getting Around

Sunshine Coast

$56 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 54.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,187 in Sunshine Coast 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 303% higher in Sunshine Coast, 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 $76.0 in Sunshine Coast versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

14:47 2:47 PM

16 h behind Sunshine Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

284,131

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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sunshine Coast Nosara 13,600 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sunshine Coast
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

Sunshine Coast vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,249 in Sunshine Coast, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,373 per month in Sunshine Coast 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 79% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,080 per month in Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast at $2,249. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunshine Coast 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 $2,249 in Sunshine Coast. 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, Sunshine Coast makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.