Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dover and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,173 in Dover, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dover outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Dover
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Dover Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dover

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,173

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,173 per month in Dover vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Dover $2,173
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,145 per month in Dover vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Dover $3,145
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,116 per month in Dover vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Dover $4,116
Nosara $3,818

Dover costs about 18% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dover and Nosara sit above the global median – Dover by 61%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.09 £15.82

$12.35 ₡5,539

70.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 £49.69

$61.2 ₡27.4K

8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.05

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.55%

Cappuccino

$4.44 £3.33

$4.41 ₡1,978

0.68%

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

$2.39 £1.79

$1.74 ₡780

37.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 £1.05

$1.31 ₡587

6.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 £2.99

$3.28 ₡1,471

21.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 £2.98

$4.47 ₡2,004

-11.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 £0.77

$3.02 ₡1,355

-66.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.86%

Eggs

$3.02 £2.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

-15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.06

$7.43 ₡3,333

26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 £5.68

$10.52 ₡4,717

-28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.33 £10.75

$13.97 ₡6,265

2.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.38

$2.35 ₡1,052

34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.61 ₡720

-9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 £2.11

$4.80 ₡2,152

-41.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 £2.48

$1.61 ₡724

104.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$3.69 ₡1,657

-59.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.13 ₡507

14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 £0.62

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.07 £17.31

$5.18 ₡2,321

345.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 £8.27

$19.88 ₡8,916

-44.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.08

$2.90 ₡1,300

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 £2.75

$3.63 ₡1,626

0.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$1.12 ₡504

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £79.8

$72.6 ₡32.6K

46.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 £3.82

$2.14 ₡958

138.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.57 ₡703

-14.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.55 £16.17

$8.52 ₡3,823

152.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.52 ₡682

34.21%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

76.65%

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

$39.8K £29.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

15.24%

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

$247 £185

$96.3 ₡43.2K

156.33%

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

$21.62 £16.22

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-39.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.57 £29.68

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-26.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.88 £35.17

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.33 £19.76

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-24.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.32 £9.24

$7.89 ₡3,539

56.15%

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

$1,056 £792

$494 ₡221.6K

113.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

64.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 £52.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

29.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.70 £23.78

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 £58.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.0 £37.52

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 £833

$788 ₡353.4K

40.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £742

$794 ₡356.2K

24.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,770 £1,328

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 £1,161

$1,419 ₡636.5K

9.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,245 £3,935

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-24.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,301 £2,477

$1,224 ₡549.0K

169.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,873 £2,156

$864 ₡387.3K

232.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

8.62

-43.04%

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

Last update for Dover: 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

Dover

$989 45.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 19.7% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dover

$308 14.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.7% $122

Eating Out

Dover

$297 13.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Dover

$270 12.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30.3% $82

Getting Around

Dover

$134 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 34.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Dover

$104 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dover

$72 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,110 in Dover 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 233% higher in Dover, 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 $66.0 in Dover versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Dover vs $352 in Nosara – so Dover wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dover

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

7 h behind Dover

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,087

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 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dover Nosara 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dover
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

Dover vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dover is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,260 per month in Dover and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,056 per month in Dover and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Dover – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Dover at $2,173. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dover it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dover makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.