Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $738 per month in Tema vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Tema $738
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Tema vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Tema $1,173
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,608 per month in Tema vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Tema $1,608
Nosara $3,712

Tema is about 60% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tema sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 GHS 82.4

$12.22 ₡5,509

-42.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.88 GHS 327

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-53.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$5.05 GHS 59.2

$4.31 ₡1,941

17.17%

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

$0.90 GHS 10.56

$1.72 ₡773

-47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 GHS 3.55

$1.35 ₡608

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 GHS 38.60

$3.24 ₡1,459

1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 GHS 30.61

$4.48 ₡2,018

-41.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 GHS 37.11

$1.57 ₡707

101.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 GHS 18.81

$3.17 ₡1,429

-49.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 GHS 24.29

$2.42 ₡1,091

-14.46%

Eggs

$2.30 GHS 27.02

$3.57 ₡1,609

-35.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 GHS 51.4

$7.43 ₡3,349

-41.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 GHS 37.14

$10.42 ₡4,697

-69.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.38 GHS 39.66

$13.66 ₡6,156

-75.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 GHS 30.66

$2.32 ₡1,044

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 GHS 25.02

$1.61 ₡728

32.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 GHS 25.97

$4.74 ₡2,138

-53.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 GHS 40.95

$1.66 ₡747

110.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 GHS 39.91

$3.72 ₡1,679

-8.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 33.06

$3.57 ₡1,611

-21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 GHS 5.25

$1.10 ₡497

-59.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 GHS 7.84

$2.55 ₡1,149

-73.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 GHS 14.83

$4.95 ₡2,232

-74.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 GHS 100

$20.01 ₡9,020

-57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 GHS 24.59

$2.79 ₡1,256

-24.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 GHS 34.74

$3.53 ₡1,589

-16.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 GHS 19.70

$1.19 ₡537

41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 GHS 483

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-42.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 GHS 24.69

$2.24 ₡1,011

-6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 GHS 4.82

$1.55 ₡701

-73.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 GHS 13.96

$1.57 ₡708

-24.20%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$78.2 GHS 917

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-16.34%

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

$15.22 GHS 179

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-56.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 GHS 968

$51.5 ₡23.2K

60.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.06 GHS 282

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-66.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 GHS 103

$7.84 ₡3,535

12.24%

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

$174 GHS 2,046

$490 ₡220.7K

-64.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,544 GHS 29.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-78.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.07 GHS 153

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-75.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.40 GHS 181

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-72.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.37 GHS 497

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-46.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.20 GHS 378

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-59.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 GHS 1,483

$786 ₡354.3K

-83.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 GHS 836

$780 ₡351.6K

-90.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 4,999

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-88.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 GHS 2,451

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-85.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,909 GHS 116.2K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

42.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,903 GHS 69.2K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

391.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 GHS 4,913

$876 ₡395.0K

-52.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

306.03%

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

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$216 28.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 62.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$176 23.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 2.3% $4.1

Eating Out

Tema

$143 * 19.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 46.2% $66

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$71 9.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 994% $709

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 66.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$46 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 160% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$42 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 109% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Tema versus $786 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 109% higher in Nosara, 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 $28.00 in Tema versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $350 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

20:46 8:46 PM

6 h behind Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tema Nosara 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

Tema vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $738 in Tema, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,107 per month in Tema and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Tema. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $174 per month in Tema and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tema, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Tema 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 $738 in Tema to $1,837 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 Tema. 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.