Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacoas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $744 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$744

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Vacoas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Vacoas $744
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,097 per month in Vacoas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Vacoas $1,097
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,449 per month in Vacoas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Vacoas $1,449
Nosara $3,818

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

Vacoas sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.89 MUR 277

$12.35 ₡5,539

-52.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 MUR 1,470

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-48.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 MUR 292

$7.52 ₡3,373

-17.55%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MUR 123

$4.41 ₡1,978

-40.82%

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

$1.12 MUR 52.9

$1.74 ₡780

-35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.80

$1.31 ₡587

-51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 MUR 121

$3.28 ₡1,471

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 MUR 175

$4.47 ₡2,004

-17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MUR 68.5

$1.56 ₡701

-7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MUR 34.35

$3.02 ₡1,355

-75.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MUR 54.1

$2.51 ₡1,125

-54.18%

Eggs

$2.28 MUR 107

$3.57 ₡1,603

-36.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.70 MUR 127

$7.43 ₡3,333

-63.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.55 MUR 120

$10.52 ₡4,717

-75.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 MUR 525

$13.97 ₡6,265

-20.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MUR 120

$2.35 ₡1,052

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 MUR 101

$1.61 ₡720

33.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.9

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 MUR 143

$1.61 ₡724

88.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.66

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.20

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.16

$1.13 ₡507

-35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MUR 31.34

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.18 MUR 291

$5.18 ₡2,321

19.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 MUR 292

$19.88 ₡8,916

-68.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MUR 67.8

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 MUR 110

$3.63 ₡1,626

-35.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 MUR 62.2

$1.12 ₡504

17.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 MUR 201

$2.14 ₡958

99.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 MUR 150

$1.57 ₡703

102.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MUR 204

$8.52 ₡3,823

-49.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MUR 62.9

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$28.9K MUR 1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

33.83%

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

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.37%

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

$44.98 MUR 2,117

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-53.29%

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

$10.35 MUR 487

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-71.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.84 MUR 1,169

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-53.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.74 MUR 1,212

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-64.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MUR 241

$7.89 ₡3,539

-35.11%

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

$125 MUR 5,897

$494 ₡221.6K

-74.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,480 MUR 352.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-36.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.95 MUR 1,504

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-40.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.68 MUR 1,774

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 MUR 2,976

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.93 MUR 2,257

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-39.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 MUR 12.5K

$788 ₡353.4K

-66.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 MUR 10.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-72.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 MUR 22.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-88.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 MUR 11.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-83.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 MUR 32.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

-20.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Vacoas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vacoas

$220 29.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 261% $574

Groceries & Markets

Vacoas

$177 23.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 99.5% $176

Eating Out

Vacoas

$124 16.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 70.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Vacoas

$81 10.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 47.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vacoas

$80 10.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 132% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Vacoas

$36 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 143% $51

Getting Around

Vacoas

$25 * 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 242% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $265 in Vacoas 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 25% 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 $31.00 in Vacoas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $352 – making Vacoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

10 h behind Vacoas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,289

4,912

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vacoas Nosara 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Vacoas
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

Vacoas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $744 in Vacoas, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 147% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Vacoas 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 Vacoas, 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 $31.00 in Vacoas 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 100% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vacoas, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vacoas 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 $744 in Vacoas to $1,839 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 Vacoas. 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.