Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Thika vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Thika $518
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $883 per month in Thika vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Thika $883
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,249 per month in Thika vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Thika $1,249
Nosara $3,814

Thika is about 72% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thika sits 62% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$12.34 ₡5,535

-71.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.21 KES 4,435

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-44.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 KES 834

$7.76 ₡3,481

-17.14%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$4.44 ₡1,992

-56.08%

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

$0.33 KES 42.15

$1.79 ₡803

-81.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 KES 78.8

$1.29 ₡580

-52.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 KES 243

$3.24 ₡1,451

-42.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 KES 267

$4.43 ₡1,985

-53.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 KES 95.1

$1.55 ₡696

-52.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$3.08 ₡1,380

-85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$2.53 ₡1,133

-54.15%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$3.45 ₡1,546

-60.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 KES 1,402

$7.32 ₡3,284

47.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 KES 853

$10.24 ₡4,594

-35.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.12 KES 534

$14.10 ₡6,326

-70.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 KES 204

$2.29 ₡1,027

-31.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 KES 82.5

$1.64 ₡737

-60.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$4.79 ₡2,149

-83.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.64 ₡735

-32.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 KES 52.9

$3.85 ₡1,727

-89.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$3.75 ₡1,681

-88.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.5

$1.09 ₡488

-36.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 48.31

$2.59 ₡1,160

-85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 KES 352

$5.12 ₡2,295

-47.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 KES 740

$19.92 ₡8,931

-71.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 KES 230

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 KES 246

$3.52 ₡1,580

-46.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 KES 202

$2.17 ₡973

-28.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 KES 125

$1.56 ₡698

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 KES 366

$8.67 ₡3,886

-67.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 KES 183

$1.55 ₡697

-9.03%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-37.30%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-48.41%

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

$34.37 KES 4,456

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-63.75%

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

$14.94 KES 1,936

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-58.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.20 KES 4,564

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-33.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.96 KES 6,088

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-36.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 KES 990

$7.91 ₡3,548

-3.54%

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

$53.7 KES 6,956

$490 ₡219.9K

-89.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,537 KES 458.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-70.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.81 KES 3,605

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-49.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 KES 3,806

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 KES 9,061

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-13.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.37 KES 2,512

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-75.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$98.7 KES 12.8K

$801 ₡359.1K

-87.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$57.5 KES 7,450

$790 ₡354.1K

-92.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 KES 35.3K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-93.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 KES 23.0K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-87.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$610 KES 79.1K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-91.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

8.62

70.65%

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

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thika

$153 29.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 128% $196

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 141% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$85 16.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 118% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 83.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 44% $27

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 1274% $732

Getting Around

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 1293% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $98.7 in Thika versus $801 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 $34.00 in Thika versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $350 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

15:18 3:18 PM

9 h behind Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thika Nosara 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
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

Thika vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $518 in Thika, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 254% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Thika and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, 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 $34.00 in Thika 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 128% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Thika 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 $518 in Thika to $1,835 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 Thika. 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.