Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,740 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
Learn more

Townsville Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,740

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,740 per month in Townsville vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Townsville $2,740
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,002 per month in Townsville vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Townsville $4,002
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,265 per month in Townsville vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Townsville $5,265
Nosara $3,818

Townsville costs about 49% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Townsville and Nosara sit above the global median – Townsville by 103%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 A$30.13

$12.35 ₡5,539

69.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 A$97.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

10.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 A$16.82

$7.52 ₡3,373

55.45%

Cappuccino

$3.60 A$5.18

$4.41 ₡1,978

-18.37%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$1.74 ₡780

43.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.31 ₡587

81.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 A$11.66

$3.28 ₡1,471

146.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 A$9.98

$4.47 ₡2,004

55.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$1.56 ₡701

18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 A$3.15

$3.02 ₡1,355

-27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.06

$2.51 ₡1,125

-43.03%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.63

$3.57 ₡1,603

48.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 A$11.29

$7.43 ₡3,333

5.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 A$14.29

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 A$19.05

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.69

$2.35 ₡1,052

68.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$1.61 ₡720

63.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.13

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.05

$1.61 ₡724

160.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$3.80 ₡1,703

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$3.69 ₡1,657

-31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 A$3.30

$1.13 ₡507

102.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.66 ₡1,191

-19.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.34 A$43.66

$5.18 ₡2,321

485.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 A$14.92

$19.88 ₡8,916

-47.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.70 A$9.65

$2.90 ₡1,300

131.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.15

$3.63 ₡1,626

132.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 A$3.02

$1.12 ₡504

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 A$111

$72.6 ₡32.6K

6.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 A$5.63

$2.14 ₡958

82.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 A$3.42

$1.57 ₡703

50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.6 A$75.6

$8.52 ₡3,823

516.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.52 ₡682

-14.47%

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

$28.0K A$40.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

29.80%

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

$34.0K A$48.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-1.50%

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

$379 A$546

$96.3 ₡43.2K

293.72%

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

$35.76 A$51.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-0.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 A$97.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

26.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-22.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 A$28.40

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-43.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 A$21.96

$7.89 ₡3,539

93.41%

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

$2,105 A$3,029

$494 ₡221.6K

326.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K A$30.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

78.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 A$132

$53.9 ₡24.2K

70.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 A$101

$55.4 ₡24.8K

26.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 A$234

$77.9 ₡34.9K

109.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$79.6 ₡35.7K

62.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 A$1,892

$788 ₡353.4K

66.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 A$1,694

$794 ₡356.2K

48.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 A$3,551

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-37.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 A$2,995

$1,419 ₡636.5K

46.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,850 A$6,979

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-29.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,960 A$5,699

$1,224 ₡549.0K

223.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,115 A$5,921

$864 ₡387.3K

376.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

8.62

-35.73%

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

Last update for Townsville: 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

Townsville

$1.2K 43%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.5% $383

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$482 17.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 61.5% $297

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$370 13.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 4.7% $17

Eating Out

Townsville

$320 11.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$204 7.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 41.2% $84

Getting Around

Townsville

$101 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 13.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1.8% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,315 in Townsville 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 377% higher in Townsville, 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 $68.0 in Townsville versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

17:25 5:25 PM

16 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

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

Townsville Nosara 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

Townsville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,740 in Townsville, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,110 per month in Townsville 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 6% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,105 per month in Townsville 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 Townsville at $2,740. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Townsville 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 $2,740 in Townsville. 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, Townsville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.