Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Farnham and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,248 in Farnham, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Farnham
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,248
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Farnham versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Farnham $3,248
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,458 in Farnham versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Farnham $4,458
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,667 in Farnham versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Farnham $5,667
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Farnham is roughly 77% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Farnham 141% above, Nosara 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.85 £20.14
$12.35 ₡5,539
117.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.0 £58.5
$61.2 ₡27.4K
27.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.49 £13.12
$7.52 ₡3,373
132.58%
Cappuccino
$6.81 £5.11
$4.41 ₡1,978
54.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 £1.71
$1.74 ₡780
31.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.31 ₡587
25.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.68 £3.51
$3.28 ₡1,471
42.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.75 £5.06
$4.47 ₡2,004
51.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 £1.33
$1.56 ₡701
13.46%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 £1.59
$3.02 ₡1,355
-29.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 £1.30
$2.51 ₡1,125
-30.68%
Eggs
$4.06 £3.05
$3.57 ₡1,603
13.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.12 £6.84
$7.43 ₡3,333
22.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.76 £6.58
$10.52 ₡4,717
-16.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.51 £7.13
$13.97 ₡6,265
-31.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 £2.01
$2.35 ₡1,052
14.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 £1.93
$1.61 ₡720
60.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.41 £1.81
$4.80 ₡2,152
-49.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.46 £1.85
$1.61 ₡724
52.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 £1.68
$3.80 ₡1,703
-41.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.00 £1.50
$3.69 ₡1,657
-45.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.13 ₡507
9.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.76 £2.07
$2.66 ₡1,191
3.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.96 £15.72
$5.18 ₡2,321
304.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.58 £9.44
$19.88 ₡8,916
-36.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.31 £3.98
$2.90 ₡1,300
83.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 £2.46
$3.63 ₡1,626
-9.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.25 £3.94
$1.12 ₡504
368.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.0 £72.8
$72.6 ₡32.6K
33.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.81 £3.61
$2.14 ₡958
124.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 £1.60
$1.57 ₡703
36.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.31 £18.99
$8.52 ₡3,823
197.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.27 £1.70
$1.52 ₡682
49.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.8K £28.4K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
75.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
19.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 £122
$96.3 ₡43.2K
69.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.78 £29.84
$35.89 ₡16.1K
10.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.97 £32.24
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-19.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.9 £62.2
$71.6 ₡32.1K
15.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.97 £30.74
$34.91 ₡15.7K
17.36%
Cinema Ticket
$13.12 £9.84
$7.89 ₡3,539
66.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,563 £1,172
$494 ₡221.6K
216.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.4K £15.3K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
71.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.2 £74.4
$53.9 ₡24.2K
83.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.4 £45.30
$55.4 ₡24.8K
8.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$145 £109
$77.9 ₡34.9K
86.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.2 £73.7
$79.6 ₡35.7K
23.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 £1,193
$788 ₡353.4K
101.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,858 £1,394
$794 ₡356.2K
133.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,306 £1,730
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-41.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,522 £1,892
$1,419 ₡636.5K
77.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,907 £3,681
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-29.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,287 £3,216
$1,224 ₡549.0K
250.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Farnham
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,886 £1,415
$864 ₡387.3K
118.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.08
8.62
-41.07%

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

Last update for Farnham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Farnham
$1.9K
Nosara
$794 57.2% $1.1K
Eating Out
Farnham
$402
Nosara
$212 47.2% $190
Groceries & Markets
Farnham
$320
Nosara
$352 10.2% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farnham
$246
Nosara
$186 24.4% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Farnham
$181
Nosara
$120 33.8% $61
Getting Around
Farnham
$134
Nosara
$87 34.8% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Farnham
$109
Nosara
$87 19.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,590 in Farnham and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farnham pays 118% 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: $78.0 in Farnham vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $352, with Farnham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Farnham
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
03:37 3:37 AM
20:37 8:37 PM
7 h behind Farnham
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,971
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
  • Farnham Nosara 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Farnham
  • 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
Farnham vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Farnham or Nosara?
Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Farnham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Farnham or in Nosara?
Average pay runs 118% higher in Farnham, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Farnham compared to Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,590 in Farnham versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Farnham and in Nosara?
Childcare runs $1,563 in Farnham versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Farnham or in Nosara?
Shoppers in Farnham pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Farnham or in Nosara?
At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,248 in Farnham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Farnham. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Farnham or Nosara?
Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.
How safe is Farnham compared to Nosara?
Safety-wise, Farnham 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Farnham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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