Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,073 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Durham versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Durham $2,073
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,286 in Durham versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Durham $3,286
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Durham versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Durham $4,498
Nosara $3,712

Living in Durham is roughly 13% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham 55% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$12.22 ₡5,509

60.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

55.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$7.54 ₡3,399

51.19%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$4.31 ₡1,941

5.80%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$1.72 ₡773

47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.35 ₡608

51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$3.24 ₡1,459

87.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$4.48 ₡2,018

18.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.57 ₡707

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$3.17 ₡1,429

-51.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.42 ₡1,091

25.21%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$3.57 ₡1,609

22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$7.43 ₡3,349

34.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$10.42 ₡4,697

-14.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$13.66 ₡6,156

56.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$2.32 ₡1,044

26.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$1.61 ₡728

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$4.74 ₡2,138

-41.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$1.66 ₡747

206.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$3.72 ₡1,679

-58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$3.57 ₡1,611

-52.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.10 ₡497

-3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$2.55 ₡1,149

-26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$4.95 ₡2,232

376.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$20.01 ₡9,020

-46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$2.79 ₡1,256

18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$3.53 ₡1,589

-10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$1.19 ₡537

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$72.1 ₡32.5K

20.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$2.24 ₡1,011

185.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.55 ₡701

24.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$8.86 ₡3,993

167.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.57 ₡708

19.75%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

73.58%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

18.67%

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

$265 £200

$93.5 ₡42.1K

183.07%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-56.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-16.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-34.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$7.84 ₡3,535

59.57%

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

$1,300 £982

$490 ₡220.7K

165.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

112.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

98.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$55.8 ₡25.1K

28.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

43.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$78.9 ₡35.6K

23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$786 ₡354.3K

95.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$780 ₡351.6K

-4.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-31.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$1,407 ₡634.4K

11.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-27.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$1,201 ₡541.3K

221.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$876 ₡395.0K

135.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

8.62

-39.91%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 4.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0.4% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 44.2% $143

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 31.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 31.2% $55

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,539 in Durham and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays 135% 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: $93.0 in Durham vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $350, with Durham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

19:37 7:37 PM

7 h behind Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durham Nosara 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham
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

Durham vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham and Nosara differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,073 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 135% higher in Durham, 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: $1,539 in Durham versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,073 per month in Durham versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 21% less than in Durham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,073 in Durham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Durham. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Durham 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 13% less than in Durham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.