Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bridgewater and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,357 in Bridgewater, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Bridgewater
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Bridgewater Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bridgewater

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,357

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,357 per month in Bridgewater vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Bridgewater $2,357
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,445 per month in Bridgewater vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Bridgewater $3,445
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,532 per month in Bridgewater vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Bridgewater $4,532
Nosara $3,818

Bridgewater costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bridgewater and Nosara sit above the global median – Bridgewater by 75%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.87 £15.66

$12.35 ₡5,539

68.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 £64.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

39.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.85

$7.52 ₡3,373

39.23%

Cappuccino

$4.71 £3.54

$4.41 ₡1,978

6.80%

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

$2.41 £1.81

$1.74 ₡780

38.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.31 ₡587

36.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 £4.86

$3.28 ₡1,471

97.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.62 £4.97

$4.47 ₡2,004

48.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.56 ₡701

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$3.02 ₡1,355

-45.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 £1.67

$2.51 ₡1,125

-11.55%

Eggs

$3.92 £2.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 £7.00

$7.43 ₡3,333

25.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 £6.51

$10.52 ₡4,717

-17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 £10.86

$13.97 ₡6,265

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$2.35 ₡1,052

28.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.61 ₡720

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.13

$4.80 ₡2,152

-40.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.43

$1.61 ₡724

100.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.24

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$3.69 ₡1,657

-57.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.13 ₡507

6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.66 ₡1,191

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.42 £17.57

$5.18 ₡2,321

352.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 £7.82

$19.88 ₡8,916

-47.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$2.90 ₡1,300

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.48

$3.63 ₡1,626

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 £2.60

$1.12 ₡504

209.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.9 £71.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

30.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 £3.78

$2.14 ₡958

135.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.57 ₡703

30.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.83 £19.38

$8.52 ₡3,823

203.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.52 ₡682

29.61%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.95%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

17.11%

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

$312 £234

$96.3 ₡43.2K

224.27%

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

$17.72 £13.29

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 £31.47

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-21.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.23 £34.68

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 £10.44

$7.89 ₡3,539

76.43%

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

$1,613 £1,210

$494 ₡221.6K

226.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

89.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 £64.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

58.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 £34.24

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-17.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 £70.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

21.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 £73.2

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 £930

$788 ₡353.4K

57.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 £771

$794 ₡356.2K

29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 £1,572

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-46.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 £1,248

$1,419 ₡636.5K

17.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,982 £3,737

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-27.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,923 £2,943

$1,224 ₡549.0K

220.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,217 £3,163

$864 ₡387.3K

388.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

8.62

-40.95%

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

Last update for Bridgewater: 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

Bridgewater

$1K 43.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 22.7% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bridgewater

$372 15.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.1% $186

Eating Out

Bridgewater

$317 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.3% $106

Groceries & Markets

Bridgewater

$296 12.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 18.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Bridgewater

$145 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.4% $25

Getting Around

Bridgewater

$124 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 29.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Bridgewater

$74 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Bridgewater 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 388% higher in Bridgewater, 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 $86.0 in Bridgewater versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $296 in Bridgewater vs $352 in Nosara – so Bridgewater wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bridgewater

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

7 h behind Bridgewater

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,666

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 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bridgewater Nosara 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bridgewater
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

Bridgewater vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bridgewater is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,536 per month in Bridgewater 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 31% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,613 per month in Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater at $2,357. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bridgewater it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bridgewater makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.