Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carmarthen and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,326 in Carmarthen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Carmarthen
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Carmarthen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Carmarthen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,326

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Carmarthen versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Carmarthen $2,326
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,066 in Carmarthen versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Carmarthen $3,066
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,806 in Carmarthen versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Carmarthen $3,806
Nosara $3,818

Living in Carmarthen is roughly 26% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carmarthen 72% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 £15.66

$12.35 ₡5,539

69.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 £48.93

$61.2 ₡27.4K

6.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 £6.90

$7.52 ₡3,373

22.34%

Cappuccino

$3.56 £2.67

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.27%

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

$2.45 £1.84

$1.74 ₡780

40.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.31 ₡587

27.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 £4.06

$3.28 ₡1,471

64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 £3.45

$4.47 ₡2,004

3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 £0.89

$3.02 ₡1,355

-60.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.51 ₡1,125

-20.72%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.28

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 £6.10

$7.43 ₡3,333

9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 £7.02

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.75

$13.97 ₡6,265

-7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 £2.30

$2.35 ₡1,052

30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.61 ₡720

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.93

$4.80 ₡2,152

-46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 £3.14

$1.61 ₡724

160.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 £1.53

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 £1.12

$3.69 ₡1,657

-59.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 £1.49

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.59 £17.70

$5.18 ₡2,321

355.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.97

$19.88 ₡8,916

-46.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.06

$2.90 ₡1,300

-5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 £2.71

$3.63 ₡1,626

-0.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.50 £3.38

$1.12 ₡504

301.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.2 £72.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

33.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 £2.51

$2.14 ₡958

56.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.57 ₡703

1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.36 £19.78

$8.52 ₡3,823

209.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.52 ₡682

21.71%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

79.16%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

15.09%

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

$316 £237

$96.3 ₡43.2K

228.67%

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

$16.79 £12.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-53.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.88 £29.17

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-27.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.38 £34.80

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.66 £10.25

$7.89 ₡3,539

73.13%

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

$2,223 £1,668

$494 ₡221.6K

349.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K £18.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

109.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.6 £74.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

82.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.36 £36.28

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-12.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

39.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 £73.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

23.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 £900

$788 ₡353.4K

52.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 £753

$794 ₡356.2K

26.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 £954

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-67.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £785

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-26.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,108 £3,832

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-26.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,890 £2,918

$1,224 ₡549.0K

217.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,998 £1,499

$864 ₡387.3K

131.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

8.62

-43.50%

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

Last update for Carmarthen: 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

Carmarthen

$1K 43.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 20.9% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carmarthen

$372 16%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.1% $186

Groceries & Markets

Carmarthen

$300 12.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 17.5% $52

Eating Out

Carmarthen

$290 12.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 27% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Carmarthen

$159 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.5% $39

Getting Around

Carmarthen

$127 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 31.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Carmarthen

$74 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,200 in Carmarthen and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carmarthen pays 131% 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: $65.0 in Carmarthen vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $352, with Carmarthen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Carmarthen

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

7 h behind Carmarthen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,185

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carmarthen Nosara 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Carmarthen
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

Carmarthen vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 131% higher in Carmarthen, 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: $1,200 in Carmarthen versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Carmarthen pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $65.0 in Carmarthen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,326 in Carmarthen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Carmarthen. 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 Carmarthen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Carmarthen 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 26% less than in Carmarthen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.