Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grays and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grays
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Grays Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Grays

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,369

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,369 per month in Grays vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Grays $2,369
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Grays vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Grays $3,403
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Grays vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Grays $4,437
Nosara $3,818

Grays costs about 29% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Grays and Nosara sit above the global median – Grays by 75%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 £18.71

$12.35 ₡5,539

101.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 £39.24

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-14.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 £7.49

$7.52 ₡3,373

32.71%

Cappuccino

$4.64 £3.48

$4.41 ₡1,978

5.22%

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

$3.86 £2.90

$1.74 ₡780

121.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$1.31 ₡587

153.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 £4.05

$3.28 ₡1,471

64.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 £5.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

76.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.56 ₡701

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.10

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.51 ₡1,125

-34.66%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$3.57 ₡1,603

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 £9.05

$7.43 ₡3,333

62.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$10.52 ₡4,717

-12.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.33

$13.97 ₡6,265

8.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$2.35 ₡1,052

25.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.61 ₡720

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$4.80 ₡2,152

-41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.83

$1.61 ₡724

134.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$3.80 ₡1,703

-42.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$3.69 ₡1,657

-51.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.13 ₡507

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.66 ₡1,191

-46.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.07 £12.80

$5.18 ₡2,321

229.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.16

$19.88 ₡8,916

-45.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$2.90 ₡1,300

4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.63 ₡1,626

-11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.66

$1.12 ₡504

216.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

34.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.66

$2.14 ₡958

128.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.57 ₡703

71.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.12 £29.35

$8.52 ₡3,823

359.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.52 ₡682

35.53%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

78.66%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.54%

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

$280 £210

$96.3 ₡43.2K

190.27%

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

$16.46 £12.35

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-54.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.70 £33.53

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-16.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 £34.87

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 £8.37

$7.89 ₡3,539

41.44%

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

$2,079 £1,559

$494 ₡221.6K

320.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K £23.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

158.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

68.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 £33.34

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

34.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 £66.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £926

$788 ₡353.4K

56.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 £759

$794 ₡356.2K

27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-46.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 £1,226

$1,419 ₡636.5K

15.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,052 £3,790

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-26.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$1,224 ₡549.0K

214.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

8.62

-40.60%

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

Last update for Grays: 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

Grays

$1K 42.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 21.5% $218

Eating Out

Grays

$357 15.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.6% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grays

$341 14.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 45.5% $155

Groceries & Markets

Grays

$313 13.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Grays

$148 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.6% $27

Getting Around

Grays

$130 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 33% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Grays

$69 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,235 in Grays 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 $52.0 in Grays versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $352 – making Grays the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Grays

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

7 h behind Grays

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,601

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 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grays Nosara 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Grays
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

Grays vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grays is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,553 per month in Grays and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,369 in Grays and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Grays at $2,369. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grays it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Grays makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.