Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Farnborough and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,337 in Farnborough, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Farnborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Farnborough
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,337
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,337 in Farnborough versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Farnborough $2,337
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,581 in Farnborough versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Farnborough $3,581
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Farnborough versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Farnborough $4,826
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Farnborough is roughly 27% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Farnborough 73% above, Nosara 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.86 £14.90
$12.35 ₡5,539
60.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$86.1 £64.6
$61.2 ₡27.4K
40.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.21 £6.91
$7.52 ₡3,373
22.47%
Cappuccino
$4.58 £3.44
$4.41 ₡1,978
3.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 £1.98
$1.74 ₡780
51.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 £1.52
$1.31 ₡587
54.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.15 £5.36
$3.28 ₡1,471
117.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.48 £4.86
$4.47 ₡2,004
44.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.56 ₡701
-8.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 £1.18
$3.02 ₡1,355
-47.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 £2.78
$2.51 ₡1,125
47.81%
Eggs
$3.32 £2.49
$3.57 ₡1,603
-7.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 £6.49
$7.43 ₡3,333
16.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.21 £6.16
$10.52 ₡4,717
-21.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.43 £10.07
$13.97 ₡6,265
-3.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 £1.27
$2.35 ₡1,052
-28.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 £1.37
$1.61 ₡720
13.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 £2.22
$4.80 ₡2,152
-38.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 £2.20
$1.61 ₡724
81.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 £1.20
$3.80 ₡1,703
-58.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$3.69 ₡1,657
-57.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 £0.76
$1.13 ₡507
-10.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 £0.44
$2.66 ₡1,191
-77.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.40 £16.81
$5.18 ₡2,321
332.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.11 £8.33
$19.88 ₡8,916
-44.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 £1.97
$2.90 ₡1,300
-9.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 £1.60
$3.63 ₡1,626
-41.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.57 £1.92
$1.12 ₡504
129.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.06 £2.29
$2.14 ₡958
42.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 £1.15
$1.57 ₡703
-2.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.87 £8.90
$8.52 ₡3,823
39.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.52 ₡682
23.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.9K £27.7K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
70.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.4K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
17.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 £122
$96.3 ₡43.2K
68.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.11 £11.34
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-57.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.99 £31.50
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-21.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.7 £42.55
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-20.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.20 £18.15
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-30.68%
Cinema Ticket
$9.31 £6.98
$7.89 ₡3,539
18.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,250 £938
$494 ₡221.6K
152.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.7K £14.8K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
65.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.5 £67.9
$53.9 ₡24.2K
67.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.41 £30.31
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-27.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 £75.6
$77.9 ₡34.9K
29.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 £90.9
$79.6 ₡35.7K
52.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,623 £1,218
$788 ₡353.4K
105.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,283 £963
$794 ₡356.2K
61.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,483 £1,863
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-36.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,343 £1,758
$1,419 ₡636.5K
65.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Farnborough
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,033 £3,026
$864 ₡387.3K
367.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.16
8.62
-40.14%

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

Last update for Farnborough: 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
Farnborough
$1.3K
Nosara
$794 38.1% $489
Eating Out
Farnborough
$309
Nosara
$212 31.4% $97
Groceries & Markets
Farnborough
$270
Nosara
$352 30.5% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farnborough
$220
Nosara
$186 15.4% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Farnborough
$159
Nosara
$120 24.3% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Farnborough
$75
Nosara
$87 16% $12
Getting Around
Farnborough
$21 *
Nosara
$87 315% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,623 in Farnborough and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farnborough pays 367% 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: $86.0 in Farnborough vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $352, with Farnborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Farnborough
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
02:56 2:56 AM
19:56 7:56 PM
7 h behind Farnborough
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
60,652
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Farnborough Nosara 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Farnborough
  • 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
Farnborough vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Farnborough and in Nosara?
Farnborough and Nosara differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,337 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Farnborough or Nosara?
Average pay runs 367% higher in Farnborough, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Farnborough and in Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,623 in Farnborough versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Farnborough and Nosara?
Childcare runs $1,250 in Farnborough versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $86.0 in Farnborough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,337 in Farnborough, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Farnborough. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Farnborough and Nosara?
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.
Is Farnborough or Nosara safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Farnborough 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.
Where should expats move: Farnborough or Nosara?
Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Farnborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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