Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,320 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Harlow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,320 in Harlow versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Harlow $2,320
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,416 in Harlow versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Harlow $3,416
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,513 in Harlow versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Harlow $4,513
Nosara $3,818

Living in Harlow is roughly 26% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Harlow 72% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.12 £15.84

$12.35 ₡5,539

71.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.0 £69.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

51.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £8.04

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.55%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.28

$4.41 ₡1,978

29.48%

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

$2.61 £1.96

$1.74 ₡780

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.31 ₡587

36.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £5.03

$3.28 ₡1,471

104.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 £5.11

$4.47 ₡2,004

52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-13.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.03

$3.02 ₡1,355

-54.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 £0.82

$2.51 ₡1,125

-56.18%

Eggs

$2.35 £1.76

$3.57 ₡1,603

-34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.66 £5.00

$7.43 ₡3,333

-10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 £4.59

$10.52 ₡4,717

-41.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.73 £5.05

$13.97 ₡6,265

-51.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$2.35 ₡1,052

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.61 ₡720

-26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.86

$4.80 ₡2,152

-76.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.61 ₡724

21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.13 ₡507

19.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$2.66 ₡1,191

-44.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.83 £15.63

$5.18 ₡2,321

302.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 £6.78

$19.88 ₡8,916

-54.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 £2.04

$2.90 ₡1,300

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.45

$3.63 ₡1,626

-46.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 £1.97

$1.12 ₡504

134.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$2.14 ₡958

172.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.57 ₡703

3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.14 £15.86

$8.52 ₡3,823

148.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.52 ₡682

21.71%

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

$37.4K £28.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

73.03%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.93%

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

$220 £165

$96.3 ₡43.2K

127.98%

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

$11.73 £8.80

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 £21.07

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.62 £34.22

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.11 £6.09

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-76.77%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.43

$7.89 ₡3,539

59.19%

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

$1,062 £797

$494 ₡221.6K

114.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £15.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

68.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 £52.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

29.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.69 £23.77

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 £57.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-1.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.87 £28.41

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-52.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 £1,048

$788 ₡353.4K

77.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 £993

$794 ₡356.2K

66.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,253 £1,690

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-42.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 £1,659

$1,419 ₡636.5K

55.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,992 £2,245

$864 ₡387.3K

246.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

8.62

-43.04%

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

Last update for Harlow: 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

Harlow

$1.3K 57.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40% $529

Eating Out

Harlow

$334 14.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.7% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$259 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.4% $74

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$209 9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 68.2% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$97 4.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$71 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.5% $17

Getting Around

Harlow

$24 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 256% $63

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 $1,397 in Harlow and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlow pays 247% 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: $93.0 in Harlow vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $209 vs $352, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

7 h behind Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Harlow Nosara 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Harlow
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

Harlow vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harlow and Nosara differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,320 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 247% higher in Harlow, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,397 in Harlow versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Harlow pay roughly 68% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,320 per month in Harlow versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,320 in Harlow, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Harlow. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Harlow 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.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Harlow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.