Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanneroo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,300 in Wanneroo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Wanneroo
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,300
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,300 per month in Wanneroo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Wanneroo $2,300
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Wanneroo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Wanneroo $3,522
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,745 per month in Wanneroo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Wanneroo $4,745
  • Nosara $3,818

Wanneroo costs about 25% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Wanneroo and Nosara sit above the global median – Wanneroo by 70%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.68 A$19.68
$12.35 ₡5,539
10.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.3 A$118
$61.2 ₡27.4K
34.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.49 A$15.09
$7.52 ₡3,373
39.49%
Cappuccino
$1.35 A$1.94
$4.41 ₡1,978
-69.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 A$3.03
$1.74 ₡780
21.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 A$1.51
$1.31 ₡587
-19.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.57 A$12.33
$3.28 ₡1,471
161.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.24 A$11.86
$4.47 ₡2,004
84.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 A$2.43
$1.56 ₡701
8.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.09 A$4.45
$3.02 ₡1,355
2.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 A$2.92
$2.51 ₡1,125
-19.12%
Eggs
$5.27 A$7.59
$3.57 ₡1,603
47.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 A$13.74
$7.43 ₡3,333
28.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.30 A$13.39
$10.52 ₡4,717
-11.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.63 A$19.62
$13.97 ₡6,265
-2.43%
Apples (1kg)
$4.41 A$6.34
$2.35 ₡1,052
87.66%
Banana (1kg)
$3.22 A$4.63
$1.61 ₡720
100.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.43 A$4.93
$4.80 ₡2,152
-28.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.04 A$7.26
$1.61 ₡724
213.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.77 A$3.98
$3.80 ₡1,703
-27.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 A$2.73
$3.69 ₡1,657
-48.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.22 A$3.20
$1.13 ₡507
96.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 A$1.96
$2.66 ₡1,191
-48.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$40.97 A$59.0
$5.18 ₡2,321
690.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.66 A$18.21
$19.88 ₡8,916
-36.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.24 A$6.11
$2.90 ₡1,300
46.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 A$4.93
$3.63 ₡1,626
-5.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.21 A$4.62
$1.12 ₡504
186.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.1 A$125
$72.6 ₡32.6K
19.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.54 A$5.09
$2.14 ₡958
65.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 A$2.07
$1.57 ₡703
-8.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.66 A$57.1
$8.52 ₡3,823
365.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 A$2.01
$1.52 ₡682
-7.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K A$38.7K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
24.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K A$43.1K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-13.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$197 A$283
$96.3 ₡43.2K
104.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.63 A$48.39
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-6.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.2 A$90.9
$53.6 ₡24.0K
17.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.59 A$68.5
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-33.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.49 A$22.29
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-55.63%
Cinema Ticket
$17.61 A$25.34
$7.89 ₡3,539
123.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,260 A$3,252
$494 ₡221.6K
357.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.4K A$33.6K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
97.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.2 A$113
$53.9 ₡24.2K
44.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.0 A$92.1
$55.4 ₡24.8K
15.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 A$175
$77.9 ₡34.9K
56.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$165 A$238
$79.6 ₡35.7K
107.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,381 A$1,987
$788 ₡353.4K
75.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,026 A$1,477
$794 ₡356.2K
29.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,855 A$2,669
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-52.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,882 A$2,709
$1,419 ₡636.5K
32.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,476 A$9,320
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-6.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,325 A$6,224
$1,224 ₡549.0K
253.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wanneroo
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.91
8.62
-31.44%

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

Last update for Wanneroo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Wanneroo
$1K
Nosara
$794 22.6% $232
Groceries & Markets
Wanneroo
$364
Nosara
$352 3.2% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wanneroo
$294
Nosara
$186 36.7% $108
Eating Out
Wanneroo
$229
Nosara
$212 7.5% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Wanneroo
$193
Nosara
$120 37.9% $73
Getting Around
Wanneroo
$111
Nosara
$87 21.3% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Wanneroo
$83
Nosara
$87 5.5% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,381 in Wanneroo 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Wanneroo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Wanneroo
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
20:26 8:26 PM
06:26 6:26 AM
14 h behind Wanneroo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,113
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wanneroo Nosara 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wanneroo
  • 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
Wanneroo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Wanneroo and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,300 in Wanneroo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Wanneroo compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,450 per month in Wanneroo and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Wanneroo and Nosara?
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.
How do commuting costs compare in Wanneroo and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 20% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Wanneroo and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $2,260 per month in Wanneroo and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Wanneroo at $2,300. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wanneroo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Wanneroo and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,300 in Wanneroo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Wanneroo or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Wanneroo and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wanneroo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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