Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $487 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $487 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $790 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,093 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093
Nosara $3,814

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia sits 64% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.49 LKR 494

$12.34 ₡5,535

-87.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.02 LKR 8,286

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-59.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,481

$7.76 ₡3,481

-3.48%

Cappuccino

$2.54 LKR 840

$4.44 ₡1,992

-42.79%

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

$0.73 LKR 240

$1.79 ₡803

-59.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.3

$1.29 ₡580

-79.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 736

$3.24 ₡1,451

-31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 993

$4.43 ₡1,985

-32.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 537

$1.55 ₡696

4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$3.08 ₡1,380

-82.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$2.53 ₡1,133

-67.98%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 546

$3.45 ₡1,546

-52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 LKR 4,614

$7.32 ₡3,284

90.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 LKR 1,606

$10.24 ₡4,594

-52.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.54 LKR 2,496

$14.10 ₡6,326

-46.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 LKR 2,125

$2.29 ₡1,027

180.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.64 ₡737

-46.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 LKR 1,448

$4.79 ₡2,149

-8.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 426

$1.64 ₡735

-21.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 332

$3.85 ₡1,727

-74.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 259

$3.75 ₡1,681

-79.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$1.09 ₡488

-19.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 149

$2.59 ₡1,160

-82.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 LKR 3,439

$5.12 ₡2,295

102.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 LKR 4,317

$19.92 ₡8,931

-34.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 626

$2.80 ₡1,255

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 994

$3.52 ₡1,580

-14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.17 ₡973

-82.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.56 ₡698

-77.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$8.67 ₡3,886

-89.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 457

$1.55 ₡697

-10.97%

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

$43.0K LKR 14.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

24.38%

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

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

4.47%

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

$58.3 LKR 19.3K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-38.49%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,418

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-88.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 LKR 6,888

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-60.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,519

$7.91 ₡3,548

-41.97%

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

$38.36 LKR 12.7K

$490 ₡219.9K

-92.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,206 LKR 399.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-89.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,116

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-66.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 LKR 5,474

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-70.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.38 LKR 14.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-45.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 LKR 152.2K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-88.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 71.4K

$887 ₡397.6K

-75.70%

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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$236 48.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 48.1% $114

Eating Out

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$86 17.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 148% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$83 17.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 121% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$70 14.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 72.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$9.2 * 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 877% $80

Getting Around

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$2.1 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 4086% $87

Accommodation & Living

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 312% higher in Nosara, 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 $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $350 – making Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

10:18 10:18 AM

11 h 30 min behind Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,827

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Nosara 17,550 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 277% more than Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $730 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and $2,753 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 $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, where all-in costs run around $487, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia costs $487 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. 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.