Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bournemouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,509
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $2,509
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $3,689
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $4,870
  • Nosara $3,818

Bournemouth costs about 36% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bournemouth and Nosara sit above the global median – Bournemouth by 86%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.25
$12.35 ₡5,539
64.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$61.2 ₡27.4K
64.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 £8.76
$7.52 ₡3,373
55.32%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.57
$4.41 ₡1,978
7.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 £2.41
$1.74 ₡780
84.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.53
$1.31 ₡587
54.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 £5.09
$3.28 ₡1,471
106.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$4.47 ₡2,004
60.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 £1.21
$1.56 ₡701
3.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 £1.16
$3.02 ₡1,355
-49.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$2.51 ₡1,125
-28.29%
Eggs
$4.32 £3.24
$3.57 ₡1,603
21.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.23 £4.68
$7.43 ₡3,333
-16.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 £6.96
$10.52 ₡4,717
-11.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 £9.51
$13.97 ₡6,265
-9.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 £1.67
$2.35 ₡1,052
-5.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.61 ₡720
8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.46
$4.80 ₡2,152
-59.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$1.61 ₡724
31.06%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 £1.52
$3.80 ₡1,703
-46.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 £0.95
$3.69 ₡1,657
-65.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.13 ₡507
67.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.27
$2.66 ₡1,191
-36.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.60 £17.71
$5.18 ₡2,321
355.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 £7.02
$19.88 ₡8,916
-52.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 £2.10
$2.90 ₡1,300
-3.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.87
$3.63 ₡1,626
-31.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 £2.73
$1.12 ₡504
225.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.8 £68.1
$72.6 ₡32.6K
24.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 £2.42
$2.14 ₡958
50.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 £1.72
$1.57 ₡703
45.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.25 £24.20
$8.52 ₡3,823
278.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.52 ₡682
30.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
76.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £30.0K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
15.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$353 £265
$96.3 ₡43.2K
266.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.19 £12.14
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-54.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.90 £32.18
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-19.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.33 £28.00
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-47.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.71 £8.78
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-66.46%
Cinema Ticket
$17.19 £12.90
$7.89 ₡3,539
117.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,218 £1,664
$494 ₡221.6K
348.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.8K £25.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
185.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.8 £66.6
$53.9 ₡24.2K
64.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.86 £32.90
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-20.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.6 £62.0
$77.9 ₡34.9K
5.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 £107
$79.6 ₡35.7K
79.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 £944
$788 ₡353.4K
59.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 £860
$794 ₡356.2K
44.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 £2,003
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-32.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 £1,424
$1,419 ₡636.5K
33.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,662 £4,998
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-3.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,474 £4,107
$1,224 ₡549.0K
347.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bournemouth
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 £2,191
$864 ₡387.3K
238.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
8.62
-42.46%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: 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
Bournemouth
$1.1K
Nosara
$794 30.7% $352
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
$412
Nosara
$186 54.9% $226
Eating Out
Bournemouth
$324
Nosara
$212 34.6% $112
Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
$273
Nosara
$352 28.9% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
$161
Nosara
$120 25.5% $41
Getting Around
Bournemouth
$120
Nosara
$87 27.4% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
$72
Nosara
$87 21.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth 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 238% higher in Bournemouth, 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 $101 in Bournemouth versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Bournemouth vs $352 in Nosara – so Bournemouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Bournemouth
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
23:01 11:01 PM
16:01 4:01 PM
7 h behind Bournemouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,491
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 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 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
  • Bournemouth Nosara 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bournemouth
  • 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
Bournemouth vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bournemouth or Nosara?
Bournemouth costs about 36% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bournemouth and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bournemouth or 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.
Are groceries more expensive in Bournemouth or in Nosara?
Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Bournemouth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
How do dining costs compare in Bournemouth and in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Bournemouth or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bournemouth or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bournemouth compared to Nosara?
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.
Should I move to Bournemouth or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bournemouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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