Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,530 per month in Alton vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Alton $2,530
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,777 per month in Alton vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Alton $3,777
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,024 per month in Alton vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Alton $5,024
Nosara $3,818

Alton costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton and Nosara sit above the global median – Alton by 87%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.36 £19.78

$12.35 ₡5,539

113.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £78.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

71.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 £8.00

$7.52 ₡3,373

41.76%

Cappuccino

$5.55 £4.17

$4.41 ₡1,978

25.85%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$1.74 ₡780

72.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.31 ₡587

60.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.03 £6.77

$3.28 ₡1,471

175.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 £5.87

$4.47 ₡2,004

75.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.56 ₡701

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.57

$3.02 ₡1,355

-30.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 £1.78

$2.51 ₡1,125

-5.58%

Eggs

$3.37 £2.53

$3.57 ₡1,603

-5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.69 £9.52

$7.43 ₡3,333

70.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.52 ₡4,717

2.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 £12.83

$13.97 ₡6,265

22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$2.35 ₡1,052

32.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.61 ₡720

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 £2.25

$4.80 ₡2,152

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 £2.49

$1.61 ₡724

106.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.13 ₡507

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.66 ₡1,191

-29.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.49

$5.18 ₡2,321

350.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.98

$19.88 ₡8,916

-46.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 £1.76

$2.90 ₡1,300

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 £2.01

$3.63 ₡1,626

-26.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 £2.51

$1.12 ₡504

198.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.8 £72.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

33.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 £4.12

$2.14 ₡958

156.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.57 ₡703

114.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.82 £19.37

$8.52 ₡3,823

203.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.52 ₡682

39.47%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

79.57%

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

$40.6K £30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

17.53%

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

$366 £275

$96.3 ₡43.2K

280.11%

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

$17.92 £13.44

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.71 £30.54

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-24.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.21 £33.92

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.61 £13.21

$7.89 ₡3,539

123.19%

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

$2,896 £2,173

$494 ₡221.6K

486.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

196.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 £84.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

109.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 £40.77

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 £94.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

60.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 £73.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 £931

$788 ₡353.4K

57.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 £744

$794 ₡356.2K

24.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 £1,589

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-46.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 £1,252

$1,419 ₡636.5K

17.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 £3,825

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-26.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,932 £2,950

$1,224 ₡549.0K

221.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

8.62

-46.06%

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

Last update for Alton: 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

Alton

$992 39.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 19.9% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton

$425 16.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 56.3% $239

Eating Out

Alton

$391 15.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 45.8% $179

Groceries & Markets

Alton

$334 13.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Alton

$175 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.5% $55

Getting Around

Alton

$133 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 34.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Alton

$80 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.6% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,241 in Alton 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 $105 in Alton versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $334 in Alton vs $352 in Nosara – so Alton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Alton

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

19:56 7:56 PM

7 h behind Alton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,816

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alton Nosara 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alton
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

Alton vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,530 in Alton, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,795 per month in Alton 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 33% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,896 per month in Alton 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 Alton at $2,530. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton 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 $2,530 in Alton. 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, Alton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.