Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,463 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,463

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,463 in Cardiff versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Cardiff $2,463
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,467 in Cardiff versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Cardiff $3,467
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,470 in Cardiff versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Cardiff $4,470
Nosara $3,712

Living in Cardiff is roughly 34% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 84% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.59 £14.80

$12.22 ₡5,509

60.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 £62.4

$60.2 ₡27.1K

37.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £8.11

$7.54 ₡3,399

42.31%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.47

$4.31 ₡1,941

6.73%

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

$2.98 £2.25

$1.72 ₡773

73.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.35 ₡608

48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 £5.88

$3.24 ₡1,459

140.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 £4.85

$4.48 ₡2,018

43.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.30

$1.57 ₡707

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.11

$3.17 ₡1,429

-53.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$2.42 ₡1,091

-7.02%

Eggs

$3.72 £2.81

$3.57 ₡1,609

4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 £6.93

$7.43 ₡3,349

23.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.61

$10.42 ₡4,697

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 £12.31

$13.66 ₡6,156

19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 £2.12

$2.32 ₡1,044

21.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.61 ₡728

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$4.74 ₡2,138

-37.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.76

$1.66 ₡747

119.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 £1.43

$3.72 ₡1,679

-48.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.12

$3.57 ₡1,611

-58.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.10 ₡497

0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$2.55 ₡1,149

-36.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.64

$4.95 ₡2,232

371.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.44

$20.01 ₡9,020

-44.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.35

$2.79 ₡1,256

11.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.52

$3.53 ₡1,589

-5.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.50

$1.19 ₡537

177.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.6 £59.4

$72.1 ₡32.5K

9.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 £3.45

$2.24 ₡1,011

103.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.55 ₡701

12.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.83 £27.08

$8.86 ₡3,993

304.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.62

$1.57 ₡708

36.31%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

73.57%

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

$41.3K £31.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

19.11%

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

$343 £259

$93.5 ₡42.1K

267.39%

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

$25.85 £19.54

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-26.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.95

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-15.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.02 £28.73

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-46.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 £8.70

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-67.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 £8.05

$7.84 ₡3,535

35.84%

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

$1,978 £1,495

$490 ₡220.7K

304.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K £24.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

176.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

86.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 £35.75

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £90.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

51.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 £75.0

$78.9 ₡35.6K

25.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 £875

$786 ₡354.3K

47.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 £829

$780 ₡351.6K

40.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 £1,651

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-43.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 £1,144

$1,407 ₡634.4K

7.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 £4,045

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-23.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,479 £2,629

$1,201 ₡541.3K

189.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,223 £2,435

$876 ₡395.0K

267.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

8.62

-40.72%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 28.9% $317

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$413 16.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 56.4% $233

Eating Out

Cardiff

$316 12.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$307 12.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 14% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$165 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 27% $45

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$59 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 46.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,158 in Cardiff and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 268% 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: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $350, with Cardiff cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

00:46 12:46 AM

7 h behind Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cardiff Nosara 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cardiff
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

Cardiff vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Nosara differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,463 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 268% higher in Cardiff, 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: $1,158 in Cardiff versus $786 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 $60.0 versus $83.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,463 per month in Cardiff versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,463 in Cardiff, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cardiff 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 34% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.