Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,241 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guildford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,241
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,241 per month in Guildford vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Guildford $3,241
  • Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,573 per month in Guildford vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Guildford $4,573
  • Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,905 per month in Guildford vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Guildford $5,905
  • Nosara $3,712

Guildford costs about 76% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guildford and Nosara sit above the global median – Guildford by 142%, Nosara by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.66 £22.41
$12.22 ₡5,509
142.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.1 £70.4
$60.2 ₡27.1K
54.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.06 £8.36
$7.54 ₡3,399
46.68%
Cappuccino
$5.08 £3.84
$4.31 ₡1,941
17.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 £2.08
$1.72 ₡773
59.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 £1.16
$1.35 ₡608
13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.37 £6.33
$3.24 ₡1,459
158.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.77 £5.11
$4.48 ₡2,018
51.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 £1.17
$1.57 ₡707
-1.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.33 £1.01
$3.17 ₡1,429
-58.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.89 £1.43
$2.42 ₡1,091
-21.90%
Eggs
$4.30 £3.25
$3.57 ₡1,609
20.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.39 £10.12
$7.43 ₡3,349
80.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.12 £7.65
$10.42 ₡4,697
-2.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.09 £12.16
$13.66 ₡6,156
17.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.50 £2.64
$2.32 ₡1,044
50.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 £1.52
$1.61 ₡728
24.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.71 £2.80
$4.74 ₡2,138
-21.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.13 £3.88
$1.66 ₡747
209.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 £1.53
$3.72 ₡1,679
-45.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.43 £1.08
$3.57 ₡1,611
-59.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 £0.90
$1.10 ₡497
8.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 £1.07
$2.55 ₡1,149
-44.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.48 £17.75
$4.95 ₡2,232
374.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.07 £9.12
$20.01 ₡9,020
-39.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 £1.87
$2.79 ₡1,256
-11.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 £2.33
$3.53 ₡1,589
-12.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.95 £2.23
$1.19 ₡537
147.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$100 £75.9
$72.1 ₡32.5K
39.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.75 £3.59
$2.24 ₡1,011
112.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 £1.51
$1.55 ₡701
29.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.95 £30.19
$8.86 ₡3,993
350.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 £1.53
$1.57 ₡708
28.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.3K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
71.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.7K £30.8K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
17.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$398 £300
$93.5 ₡42.1K
325.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.68 £15.63
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-41.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.33 £34.25
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-11.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 £38.83
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-28.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.13 £17.48
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-34.73%
Cinema Ticket
$10.63 £8.03
$7.84 ₡3,535
35.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,862 £1,407
$490 ₡220.7K
280.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K £18.0K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
101.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$109 £82.2
$53.5 ₡24.1K
103.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.0 £49.85
$55.8 ₡25.1K
18.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 £90.5
$79.3 ₡35.7K
51.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 £96.1
$78.9 ₡35.6K
61.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 £1,430
$786 ₡354.3K
140.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,605 £1,213
$780 ₡351.6K
105.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,908 £2,198
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-24.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,433 £1,838
$1,407 ₡634.4K
72.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,571 £5,721
$6,972 ₡3.1M
8.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,870 £5,191
$1,201 ₡541.3K
472.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guildford
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,566 £2,695
$876 ₡395.0K
306.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.13
8.62
-40.49%

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

Last update for Guildford: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guildford
$1.6K
Nosara
$780 51.4% $825
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guildford
$464
Nosara
$180 61.2% $283
Eating Out
Guildford
$404
Nosara
$209 48.1% $194
Groceries & Markets
Guildford
$336
Nosara
$350 4% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Guildford
$190
Nosara
$120 36.6% $69
Getting Around
Guildford
$127
Nosara
$87 31.6% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Guildford
$73
Nosara
$87 19.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,892 in Guildford versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 307% higher in Guildford, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Guildford versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $336 in Guildford vs $350 in Nosara – so Guildford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Guildford
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
02:38 2:38 AM
19:38 7:38 PM
7 h behind Guildford
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
66,773
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guildford Nosara 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guildford
  • 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
Guildford vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Guildford?
Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 76%, 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 $4,861 per month in Guildford and $2,756 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.
How do food prices compare in Guildford and in Nosara?
Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Guildford – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is eating out cheaper in Guildford or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Guildford and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Guildford or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Guildford at $3,241. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guildford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Guildford 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, Guildford 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, Guildford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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