Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dambulla and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
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Dambulla Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $505 per month in Dambulla vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Dambulla $505
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $818 per month in Dambulla vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Dambulla $818
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $1,131 per month in Dambulla vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Dambulla $1,131
Nosara $3,820

Dambulla is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dambulla sits 63% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 LKR 1,281

$12.36 ₡5,575

-68.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.00 LKR 8,308

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-58.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 LKR 2,545

$7.88 ₡3,557

-2.79%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 821

$4.40 ₡1,986

-43.86%

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

$0.67 LKR 224

$1.72 ₡776

-61.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$1.34 ₡603

-79.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 LKR 753

$3.34 ₡1,505

-32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 975

$4.54 ₡2,048

-35.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 543

$1.64 ₡739

-0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 188

$3.16 ₡1,426

-82.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 254

$2.39 ₡1,080

-67.78%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 542

$3.47 ₡1,564

-53.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 LKR 4,503

$7.13 ₡3,217

90.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 LKR 1,635

$10.32 ₡4,655

-52.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.30 LKR 2,427

$13.97 ₡6,302

-47.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.47 LKR 2,151

$2.29 ₡1,031

182.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 289

$1.62 ₡731

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 LKR 1,441

$4.81 ₡2,169

-9.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 440

$1.68 ₡758

-21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 LKR 336

$3.91 ₡1,765

-74.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 261

$3.63 ₡1,640

-78.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 289

$1.13 ₡509

-23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$2.63 ₡1,188

-83.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.35 LKR 3,439

$5.02 ₡2,267

106.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 LKR 4,213

$19.71 ₡8,893

-35.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 627

$2.91 ₡1,314

-35.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 974

$3.54 ₡1,597

-17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.07 LKR 23.75

$1.21 ₡545

-94.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$2.15 ₡969

-82.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.63 ₡738

-76.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 289

$8.77 ₡3,958

-90.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 456

$1.55 ₡700

-11.61%

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

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

29.09%

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

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

6.48%

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

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-37.23%

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

$4.30 LKR 1,430

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-88.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.98 LKR 6,974

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-59.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 LKR 1,520

$7.54 ₡3,404

-39.39%

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

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

$496 ₡224.0K

-92.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,199 LKR 398.4K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-89.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.35 LKR 6,100

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-66.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.43 LKR 5,460

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-70.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

8.62

47.22%

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

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dambulla

$234 46.4%

Nosara

$351 19% 50% $117

Eating Out

Dambulla

$104 20.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 104% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dambulla

$85 16.9%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 116% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Dambulla

$69 13.7%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 74.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 803% $74

Getting Around

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 3400% $86

Accommodation & Living

Dambulla

- * 0%

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dambulla versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $351 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

11 h 30 min behind Dambulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,800

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dambulla Nosara 17,520 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Dambulla
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

Dambulla vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $505 in Dambulla, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 266% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $757 per month in Dambulla and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dambulla and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Dambulla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $505 in Dambulla to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.