Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,396 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,396

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Exeter versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Exeter $2,396
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Exeter versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Exeter $3,801
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,206 in Exeter versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Exeter $5,206
Nosara $3,818

Living in Exeter is roughly 30% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Exeter 78% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 £15.02

$12.35 ₡5,539

62.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 £74.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

61.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 £6.84

$7.52 ₡3,373

21.28%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.55

$4.41 ₡1,978

7.26%

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

$3.12 £2.34

$1.74 ₡780

79.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 £1.80

$1.31 ₡587

83.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 £5.35

$3.28 ₡1,471

117.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 £4.65

$4.47 ₡2,004

38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 £1.20

$3.02 ₡1,355

-47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.51 ₡1,125

-29.08%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.23

$3.57 ₡1,603

20.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 £6.72

$7.43 ₡3,333

20.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 £6.31

$10.52 ₡4,717

-20.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.94 £17.21

$13.97 ₡6,265

64.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.35 ₡1,052

28.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.61 ₡720

-11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 £1.72

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.30

$1.61 ₡724

90.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$3.80 ₡1,703

-40.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.13 ₡507

32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$2.66 ₡1,191

-28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.51

$5.18 ₡2,321

350.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 £6.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-53.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.90 ₡1,300

21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.31

$3.63 ₡1,626

21.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £3.00

$1.12 ₡504

257.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

43.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.47

$2.14 ₡958

178.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.83

$1.57 ₡703

54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 £18.12

$8.52 ₡3,823

183.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.52 ₡682

27.63%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

79.60%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

16.53%

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

$469 £352

$96.3 ₡43.2K

387.57%

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

$15.80 £11.85

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.56 £34.93

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.93 £32.96

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-38.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.13 £9.85

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-62.39%

Cinema Ticket

$12.73 £9.55

$7.89 ₡3,539

61.34%

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

$1,413 £1,060

$494 ₡221.6K

185.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

47.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 £50.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

24.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 £23.74

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 £56.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 £853

$788 ₡353.4K

44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 £670

$794 ₡356.2K

12.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 £1,788

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 £1,547

$1,419 ₡636.5K

45.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,317 £3,989

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-23.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,618 £4,965

$1,224 ₡549.0K

440.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,096 £2,323

$864 ₡387.3K

258.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

8.62

-40.72%

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

Last update for Exeter: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Exeter

$893 37.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 11% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Exeter

$532 22.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 65.1% $346

Groceries & Markets

Exeter

$326 13.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.2% $27

Eating Out

Exeter

$314 13.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.6% $103

Getting Around

Exeter

$138 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 37% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Exeter

$124 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3.3% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Exeter

$69 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,137 in Exeter and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 258% 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: $99.0 in Exeter vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $352, with Exeter cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Exeter

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

7 h behind Exeter

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,800

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Exeter Nosara 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Exeter
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

Exeter vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Exeter and Nosara differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 258% higher in Exeter, 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: $1,137 in Exeter versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $99.0 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,396 per month in Exeter versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,396 in Exeter, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Exeter. 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, Exeter 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 30% less than in Exeter. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.