Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douglas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,633 in Douglas, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Douglas
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Douglas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Douglas

🇮🇲 Isle of Man

$2,633

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,633 in Douglas versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Douglas $2,633
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,063 in Douglas versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Douglas $4,063
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,494 in Douglas versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Douglas $5,494
Nosara $3,712

Living in Douglas is roughly 43% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Douglas 96% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.91 IMP 21.13

$12.22 ₡5,509

128.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 IMP 89.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

96.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 IMP 9.19

$7.54 ₡3,399

61.01%

Cappuccino

$5.14 IMP 3.89

$4.31 ₡1,941

19.26%

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

$2.73 IMP 2.06

$1.72 ₡773

58.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 IMP 1.56

$1.35 ₡608

52.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.46 IMP 4.89

$3.24 ₡1,459

99.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 IMP 4.47

$4.48 ₡2,018

31.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 IMP 1.92

$1.57 ₡707

61.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 IMP 1.98

$3.17 ₡1,429

-17.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 IMP 1.58

$2.42 ₡1,091

-13.64%

Eggs

$5.17 IMP 3.91

$3.57 ₡1,609

44.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 IMP 5.94

$7.43 ₡3,349

5.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 IMP 6.48

$10.42 ₡4,697

-17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.59 IMP 9.53

$13.66 ₡6,156

-7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 IMP 2.29

$2.32 ₡1,044

30.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 IMP 1.39

$1.61 ₡728

13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 IMP 2.88

$4.74 ₡2,138

-19.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 IMP 2.76

$1.66 ₡747

119.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 IMP 2.29

$3.72 ₡1,679

-18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 IMP 2.23

$3.57 ₡1,611

-17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 IMP 1.60

$1.10 ₡497

91.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 IMP 1.95

$2.55 ₡1,149

1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.70 IMP 17.18

$4.95 ₡2,232

358.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 IMP 9.09

$20.01 ₡9,020

-39.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.41 IMP 3.34

$2.79 ₡1,256

58.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 IMP 3.25

$3.53 ₡1,589

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 IMP 2.26

$1.19 ₡537

150.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.2 IMP 74.3

$72.1 ₡32.5K

36.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 IMP 3.88

$2.24 ₡1,011

129.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 IMP 1.07

$1.55 ₡701

-9.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.3 IMP 60.0

$8.86 ₡3,993

794.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 IMP 1.48

$1.57 ₡708

24.20%

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

$43.4K IMP 32.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

99.04%

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

$43.7K IMP 33.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

26.30%

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

$340 IMP 258

$93.5 ₡42.1K

264.13%

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

$60.7 IMP 45.96

$35.11 ₡15.8K

72.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.2 IMP 55.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

42.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 IMP 49.15

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-9.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 IMP 14.93

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-44.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.99 IMP 12.11

$7.84 ₡3,535

103.95%

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

$1,763 IMP 1,335

$490 ₡220.7K

260.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$51.5K IMP 39.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

333.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 IMP 76.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

88.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.85 IMP 33.19

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 IMP 85.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

43.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 IMP 51.8

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-13.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 IMP 942

$786 ₡354.3K

58.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 IMP 823

$780 ₡351.6K

39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 IMP 1,774

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-39.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,044 IMP 1,547

$1,407 ₡634.4K

45.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,020 IMP 3,800

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-28.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,864 IMP 2,925

$1,201 ₡541.3K

221.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,941 IMP 2,226

$876 ₡395.0K

235.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

8.62

-44.78%

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

Last update for Douglas: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Douglas

$1.1K 40.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 28.2% $307

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douglas

$474 17.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 62% $294

Eating Out

Douglas

$385 14.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 45.6% $175

Groceries & Markets

Douglas

$353 13.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Douglas

$147 5.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 18.1% $27

Getting Around

Douglas

$122 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 29% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Douglas

$97 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,245 in Douglas and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Douglas pays 236% 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: $118 in Douglas vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇲 Douglas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

18:27 6:27 PM

7 h behind Douglas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,218 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Isle of Man Pound IMP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 IMP = 1.32 USD

1 IMP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IMP – Isle of Man Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇲 Isle of Man Pound (£)

Isle of Man Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.757 IMP (1 IMP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.849 IMP (1 IMP = 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 IMP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Douglas Nosara 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Douglas
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

Douglas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 236% higher in Douglas, 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: $1,245 in Douglas versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,633 per month in Douglas versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 36% less than in Douglas. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,633 in Douglas, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Douglas. 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 Douglas, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Douglas 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 43% less than in Douglas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.