Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darlington and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Darlington: $1,658 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Darlington
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,658
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,658 per month in Darlington vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Darlington $1,658
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,593 per month in Darlington vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Darlington $2,593
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,528 per month in Darlington vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Darlington $3,528
  • Nosara $3,818

Darlington is about 10% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Darlington and Nosara sit above the global median – Darlington by 23%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.37 £10.78
$12.35 ₡5,539
16.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 £43.94
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-4.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.42 £7.07
$7.52 ₡3,373
25.27%
Cappuccino
$3.56 £2.67
$4.41 ₡1,978
-19.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 £1.77
$1.74 ₡780
35.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 £1.51
$1.31 ₡587
53.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.63 £3.48
$3.28 ₡1,471
41.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 £3.08
$4.47 ₡2,004
-8.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 £0.96
$1.56 ₡701
-17.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 £1.02
$3.02 ₡1,355
-54.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.27 £1.70
$2.51 ₡1,125
-9.56%
Eggs
$3.55 £2.67
$3.57 ₡1,603
-0.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.64 £5.73
$7.43 ₡3,333
2.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.98 £5.24
$10.52 ₡4,717
-33.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.18 £6.89
$13.97 ₡6,265
-34.29%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 £2.45
$2.35 ₡1,052
38.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 £0.92
$1.61 ₡720
-23.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 £2.61
$4.80 ₡2,152
-27.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.82 £2.87
$1.61 ₡724
137.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$3.80 ₡1,703
-56.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.34
$3.69 ₡1,657
-51.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 £0.90
$1.13 ₡507
5.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 £0.81
$2.66 ₡1,191
-59.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.62 £16.22
$5.18 ₡2,321
317.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.98 £6.74
$19.88 ₡8,916
-54.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 £1.51
$2.90 ₡1,300
-30.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.26
$3.63 ₡1,626
-17.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 £1.94
$1.12 ₡504
130.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$84.1 £63.1
$72.6 ₡32.6K
15.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 £3.05
$2.14 ₡958
90.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.57 ₡703
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.87 £11.91
$8.52 ₡3,823
86.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.92 £1.44
$1.52 ₡682
26.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K £14.7K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-9.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K £23.0K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-11.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$266 £199
$96.3 ₡43.2K
175.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.36 £11.52
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-57.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.69 £33.53
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-16.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.21 £30.17
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-43.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.78 £5.09
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-80.58%
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 £5.01
$7.89 ₡3,539
-15.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 £611
$494 ₡221.6K
64.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.5 £49.17
$53.9 ₡24.2K
21.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.5 £42.40
$55.4 ₡24.8K
2.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 £85.6
$77.9 ₡34.9K
46.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 £85.4
$79.6 ₡35.7K
43.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$658 £493
$788 ₡353.4K
-16.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$536 £402
$794 ₡356.2K
-32.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,447 £1,085
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-63.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,176 £882
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-17.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,375 £1,782
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-65.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Darlington
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,697 £2,024
$864 ₡387.3K
212.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.61
8.62
-34.92%

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

Last update for Darlington: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Darlington
$536
Nosara
$794 48.2% $258
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Darlington
$326
Nosara
$186 43% $140
Groceries & Markets
Darlington
$252
Nosara
$352 39.7% $100
Eating Out
Darlington
$235
Nosara
$212 9.8% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Darlington
$158
Nosara
$120 23.8% $37
Getting Around
Darlington
$99 *
Nosara
$87 11.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Darlington
$54
Nosara
$87 63.2% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Darlington 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 212% higher in Darlington, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Darlington versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $352 – making Darlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Darlington
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
09:32 9:32 AM
02:32 2:32 AM
7 h behind Darlington
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
92,363
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 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
  • Darlington Nosara 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Darlington
  • 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
Darlington vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Darlington?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,487 per month in Darlington and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Darlington, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 16% less in Darlington. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Darlington and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Darlington or in Nosara?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Darlington, where all-in costs run around $1,658, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Darlington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Darlington or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Darlington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Darlington or 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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Darlington. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Darlington vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?