Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toowoomba and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,110 in Toowoomba, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Toowoomba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,110

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,110 per month in Toowoomba vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Toowoomba $2,110
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,921 per month in Toowoomba vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Toowoomba $2,921
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,732 per month in Toowoomba vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Toowoomba $3,732
Nosara $3,818

Toowoomba costs about 15% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Toowoomba and Nosara sit above the global median – Toowoomba by 56%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 A$23.82

$12.35 ₡5,539

34.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.1 A$104

$61.2 ₡27.4K

17.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 A$13.38

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.67%

Cappuccino

$3.81 A$5.48

$4.41 ₡1,978

-13.61%

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

$2.71 A$3.90

$1.74 ₡780

55.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.31 ₡587

78.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 A$9.75

$3.28 ₡1,471

106.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 A$10.22

$4.47 ₡2,004

58.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.27

$3.02 ₡1,355

-24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 A$2.80

$2.51 ₡1,125

-22.71%

Eggs

$4.55 A$6.55

$3.57 ₡1,603

27.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 A$12.40

$7.43 ₡3,333

16.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 A$12.79

$10.52 ₡4,717

-15.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 A$16.87

$13.97 ₡6,265

-16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.35 ₡1,052

34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 A$2.58

$1.61 ₡720

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 A$1.97

$4.80 ₡2,152

-71.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 A$3.09

$1.61 ₡724

33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.59

$3.80 ₡1,703

-34.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.20

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.45

$1.13 ₡507

111.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 A$1.42

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.77 A$50.0

$5.18 ₡2,321

571.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 A$19.75

$19.88 ₡8,916

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.60

$2.90 ₡1,300

58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 A$9.39

$3.63 ₡1,626

79.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.12 ₡504

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.20

$2.14 ₡958

3.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 A$2.31

$1.57 ₡703

2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.11 A$49.08

$8.52 ₡3,823

300.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$26.7K A$38.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

23.50%

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

$23.3K A$33.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-32.47%

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

$74.5 A$107

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-22.64%

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

$30.11 A$43.33

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-16.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 A$77.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.16 A$59.2

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.69 A$25.46

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.33%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 A$19.92

$7.89 ₡3,539

75.54%

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

$2,039 A$2,934

$494 ₡221.6K

312.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,996 A$10.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-41.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 A$108

$53.9 ₡24.2K

39.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$77.4

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 A$108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$176

$79.6 ₡35.7K

53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$788 ₡353.4K

54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 A$1,626

$794 ₡356.2K

42.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 A$2,328

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-58.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,028

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-0.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 A$4,881

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-50.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,674 A$3,847

$1,224 ₡549.0K

118.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,869 A$5,567

$864 ₡387.3K

348.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

8.62

-33.99%

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

Last update for Toowoomba: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 29.7% $336

Groceries & Markets

Toowoomba

$309 14.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.1% $44

Eating Out

Toowoomba

$274 13%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toowoomba

$159 7.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Toowoomba

$147 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Toowoomba

$69 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.9% $19

Getting Around

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 289% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Toowoomba 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 348% higher in Toowoomba, 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 $72.0 in Toowoomba versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $309 in Toowoomba vs $352 in Nosara – so Toowoomba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

13:59 1:59 PM

16 h behind Toowoomba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,398

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

Toowoomba Nosara 13,700 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Toowoomba
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

Toowoomba vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,110 in Toowoomba, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,165 per month in Toowoomba 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72.0 in Toowoomba and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Toowoomba – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Toowoomba at $2,110. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toowoomba 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 $2,110 in Toowoomba. 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, Toowoomba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.