Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalmunai and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmunai: $506 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kalmunai
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Kalmunai Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Kalmunai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Kalmunai vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kalmunai $506
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $823 per month in Kalmunai vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Kalmunai $823
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,139 per month in Kalmunai vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kalmunai $1,139
Nosara $3,818

Kalmunai is about 72% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kalmunai sits 62% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.29 LKR 1,421

$12.35 ₡5,539

-65.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 LKR 8,078

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-60.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 LKR 2,545

$7.52 ₡3,373

2.13%

Cappuccino

$2.51 LKR 831

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.08%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.74 ₡780

-60.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$1.31 ₡587

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 711

$3.28 ₡1,471

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 984

$4.47 ₡2,004

-33.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 537

$1.56 ₡701

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$3.02 ₡1,355

-81.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 245

$2.51 ₡1,125

-70.52%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 547

$3.57 ₡1,603

-53.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 LKR 4,530

$7.43 ₡3,333

84.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 LKR 1,639

$10.52 ₡4,717

-52.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.49 LKR 2,480

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,235

$2.35 ₡1,052

187.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 278

$1.61 ₡720

-47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 LKR 1,469

$4.80 ₡2,152

-7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 424

$1.61 ₡724

-20.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$3.69 ₡1,657

-78.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.13 ₡507

-23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 154

$2.66 ₡1,191

-82.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 LKR 3,459

$5.18 ₡2,321

101.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 LKR 4,423

$19.88 ₡8,916

-32.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 636

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 LKR 964

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$2.14 ₡958

-81.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.57 ₡703

-78.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 310

$8.52 ₡3,823

-88.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$36.5K LKR 12.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

69.09%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

19.63%

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

$54.4 LKR 18.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-43.47%

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

$4.12 LKR 1,364

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.77 LKR 6,880

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-61.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 LKR 1,477

$7.89 ₡3,539

-43.47%

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

$37.06 LKR 12.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

-92.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,233 LKR 408.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-89.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.39 LKR 6,090

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.50 LKR 5,464

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-70.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 LKR 25.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

0.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.64 LKR 13.8K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-47.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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)

$152 LKR 50.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

-82.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

8.62

47.22%

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

Last update for Kalmunai: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kalmunai

$238 47.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.8% $114

Eating Out

Kalmunai

$108 21.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 96.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalmunai

$79 15.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 134% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Kalmunai

$70 13.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 72.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Kalmunai

$8.9 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 880% $78

Getting Around

Kalmunai

$2.1 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3990% $85

Accommodation & Living

Kalmunai

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 466% higher in Nosara, 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 $24.00 in Kalmunai versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $352 – making Kalmunai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kalmunai

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

11 h 30 min behind Kalmunai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kalmunai Nosara 17,640 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalmunai
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

Kalmunai vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 263% more than Kalmunai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $760 per month in Kalmunai and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $506 in Kalmunai and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 263%.

Kindergarten costs $37.06 per month in Kalmunai and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kalmunai, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kalmunai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kalmunai costs $506 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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