Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Falmouth and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,964 in Falmouth, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Falmouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Falmouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,964
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,964 per month in Falmouth vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Falmouth $1,964
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,980 per month in Falmouth vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Falmouth $2,980
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,997 per month in Falmouth vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Falmouth $3,997
  • Nosara $3,818

Falmouth costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Falmouth and Nosara sit above the global median – Falmouth by 45%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.28 £17.47
$12.35 ₡5,539
88.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.3 £70.0
$61.2 ₡27.4K
52.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.07 £7.55
$7.52 ₡3,373
33.91%
Cappuccino
$5.03 £3.78
$4.41 ₡1,978
14.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 £2.12
$1.74 ₡780
62.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 £1.34
$1.31 ₡587
36.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.70 £5.03
$3.28 ₡1,471
104.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.52 £4.89
$4.47 ₡2,004
45.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 £1.26
$1.56 ₡701
7.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 £1.47
$3.02 ₡1,355
-35.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$2.51 ₡1,125
-30.28%
Eggs
$4.95 £3.71
$3.57 ₡1,603
38.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.86 £2.90
$7.43 ₡3,333
-48.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.75 £5.82
$10.52 ₡4,717
-26.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.64 £12.49
$13.97 ₡6,265
19.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 £2.53
$2.35 ₡1,052
43.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.32
$1.61 ₡720
8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.43 £1.82
$4.80 ₡2,152
-49.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.22 £2.41
$1.61 ₡724
100.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 £1.52
$3.80 ₡1,703
-46.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$3.69 ₡1,657
-52.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.80 £1.35
$1.13 ₡507
59.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 £1.47
$2.66 ₡1,191
-26.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.68 £17.77
$5.18 ₡2,321
357.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.78 £8.08
$19.88 ₡8,916
-45.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 £1.85
$2.90 ₡1,300
-14.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 £1.18
$3.63 ₡1,626
-56.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.84 £4.38
$1.12 ₡504
421.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 £3.97
$2.14 ₡958
147.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.01 £3.01
$1.57 ₡703
155.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.59 £19.95
$8.52 ₡3,823
212.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.52 ₡682
30.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £29.0K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
78.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
19.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$259 £194
$96.3 ₡43.2K
169.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.77 £14.83
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-44.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.76 £32.08
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-20.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.5 £43.85
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-18.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.74 £8.81
$7.89 ₡3,539
48.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,579 £1,185
$494 ₡221.6K
219.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 £40.45
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-0.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.75 £23.07
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-44.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.5 £74.6
$77.9 ₡34.9K
27.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.5 £45.37
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-24.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$782 £587
$788 ₡353.4K
-0.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$766 £575
$794 ₡356.2K
-3.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,145 £1,609
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-45.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,294 £971
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-8.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Falmouth
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.5
8.62
-59.40%

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

Last update for Falmouth: 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
Falmouth
$766
Nosara
$794 3.7% $28
Eating Out
Falmouth
$342
Nosara
$212 38% $130
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Falmouth
$322
Nosara
$186 42.2% $136
Groceries & Markets
Falmouth
$294
Nosara
$352 19.9% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Falmouth
$110
Nosara
$120 9.1% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Falmouth
$82
Nosara
$87 6.6% $5.4
Getting Around
Falmouth
$49 *
Nosara
$87 78.8% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $782 in Falmouth 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Falmouth versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $294 in Falmouth vs $352 in Nosara – so Falmouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Falmouth
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
00:21 12:21 AM
17:21 5:21 PM
7 h behind Falmouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,223
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Falmouth Nosara 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Falmouth
  • 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
Falmouth vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Falmouth?
Yes – Falmouth is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,946 per month in Falmouth and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Falmouth or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Falmouth and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Falmouth and in Nosara?
Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Falmouth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Falmouth or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Falmouth at $1,964. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Falmouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Falmouth or Nosara more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Falmouth or Nosara?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Falmouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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