Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Isle of Islay and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend on the Isle of Islay and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month on the Isle of Islay and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,352 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Isle of Islay $2,352
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,353 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Isle of Islay $3,353
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,354 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Isle of Islay $4,354
Nosara $3,814

Isle of Islay costs about 28% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Isle of Islay and Nosara sit above the global median – Isle of Islay by 74%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.60 £16.21

$12.34 ₡5,535

75.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 £61.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

32.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

36.60%

Cappuccino

$4.48 £3.36

$4.44 ₡1,992

0.90%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$1.79 ₡803

38.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.29 ₡580

2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 £4.37

$3.24 ₡1,451

79.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.51

$4.43 ₡1,985

35.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.55 ₡696

30.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.32

$3.08 ₡1,380

-43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 £2.06

$2.53 ₡1,133

8.30%

Eggs

$5.41 £4.06

$3.45 ₡1,546

56.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 £5.54

$7.32 ₡3,284

0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 £7.14

$10.24 ₡4,594

-7.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 £11.53

$14.10 ₡6,326

8.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.29 ₡1,027

9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.64 ₡737

34.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.12

$4.79 ₡2,149

-41.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$1.64 ₡735

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.29

$3.85 ₡1,727

-20.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$3.75 ₡1,681

-43.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.09 ₡488

70.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.82

$2.59 ₡1,160

-6.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$5.12 ₡2,295

364.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 £9.03

$19.92 ₡8,931

-39.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.44

$2.80 ₡1,255

16.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.41

$3.52 ₡1,580

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.62

$1.22 ₡549

186.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 £73.6

$73.9 ₡33.1K

32.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 £3.56

$2.17 ₡973

118.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 £2.84

$1.56 ₡698

142.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.58 £19.94

$8.67 ₡3,886

206.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.55 ₡697

33.55%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

11.52%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

4.32%

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

$238 £178

$94.8 ₡42.5K

150.67%

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

$13.09 £9.82

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-63.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.21 £31.67

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.82 £32.88

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-40.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.08

$7.91 ₡3,548

69.91%

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

$1,918 £1,439

$490 ₡219.9K

291.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K £18.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

108.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

82.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 £43.19

$55.9 ₡25.1K

3.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 £90.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

50.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 £65.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

11.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 £955

$801 ₡359.1K

58.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 £779

$790 ₡354.1K

31.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-46.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 £1,087

$1,409 ₡632.0K

2.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,528 £4,147

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-21.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,409 £2,558

$1,236 ₡554.3K

175.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

8.62

-37.24%

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

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 24% $249

Groceries & Markets

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 4.6% $15

Eating Out

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 37.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Isle of Islay

$165 7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 26.5% $44

Getting Around

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 34.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Isle of Islay

$71 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,272 on the Isle of Islay versus $801 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $334 on the Isle of Islay vs $350 in Nosara – so Isle of Islay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

09:44 9:44 AM

7 h behind the Isle of Islay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,457

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 23, 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 23, 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

Isle of Islay Nosara 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Isle of Islay
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

Isle of Islay vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,528 per month on the Isle of Islay and $2,753 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 on the Isle of Islay and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,352 on the Isle of Islay and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 28%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay 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, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.