Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashford and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,427 in Ashford versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Ashford $2,427
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,351 in Ashford versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Ashford $3,351
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Ashford versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Ashford $4,276
Nosara $3,818

Living in Ashford is roughly 32% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashford 80% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.96 £15.73

$12.35 ₡5,539

69.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 £60.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

30.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 £7.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.49%

Cappuccino

$5.74 £4.30

$4.41 ₡1,978

30.16%

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

$2.74 £2.05

$1.74 ₡780

57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.31 ₡587

38.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 £2.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 £5.32

$4.47 ₡2,004

58.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.56 ₡701

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 £0.99

$3.02 ₡1,355

-56.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$2.51 ₡1,125

-32.67%

Eggs

$3.00 £2.25

$3.57 ₡1,603

-15.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 £3.92

$7.43 ₡3,333

-29.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 £5.18

$10.52 ₡4,717

-34.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 £10.79

$13.97 ₡6,265

3.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$2.35 ₡1,052

39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.61 ₡720

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 £2.01

$4.80 ₡2,152

-44.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.61 ₡724

96.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 £1.09

$3.69 ₡1,657

-60.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.13 ₡507

27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$2.66 ₡1,191

-46.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.83 £14.13

$5.18 ₡2,321

263.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.24 £6.93

$19.88 ₡8,916

-53.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 £2.00

$2.90 ₡1,300

-7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 £2.73

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.92

$1.12 ₡504

247.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 £110

$72.6 ₡32.6K

101.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 £4.58

$2.14 ₡958

185.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.57 ₡703

7.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.44 £16.08

$8.52 ₡3,823

151.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.52 ₡682

36.18%

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

$35.0K £26.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

61.80%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

19.15%

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

$244 £183

$96.3 ₡43.2K

153.14%

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

$24.30 £18.23

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-32.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.52 £28.90

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-28.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.99

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-14.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.74 £14.06

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-46.32%

Cinema Ticket

$21.45 £16.10

$7.89 ₡3,539

171.86%

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

$1,076 £808

$494 ₡221.6K

117.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K £14.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

67.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 £52.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

28.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 £23.63

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 £57.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £75.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 £836

$788 ₡353.4K

41.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 £850

$794 ₡356.2K

42.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 £1,282

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 £1,069

$1,419 ₡636.5K

0.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,328 £4,748

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-8.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,671 £3,504

$1,224 ₡549.0K

281.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,452 £1,840

$864 ₡387.3K

183.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

8.62

-43.04%

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

Last update for Ashford: 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

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 29.9% $339

Eating Out

Ashford

$320 13.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashford

$307 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.4% $121

Groceries & Markets

Ashford

$262 10.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 34.7% $91

Getting Around

Ashford

$176 7.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 50.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Ashford

$125 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3.9% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ashford

$104 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,115 in Ashford and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 184% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Ashford vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $352, with Ashford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ashford

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

19:57 7:57 PM

7 h behind Ashford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,936

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashford Nosara 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashford
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

Ashford vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 184% higher in Ashford, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,115 in Ashford versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,427 per month in Ashford versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Ashford. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ashford and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.