Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalutara and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $608 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
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Kalutara Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Kalutara versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Kalutara $608
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $888 in Kalutara versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Kalutara $888
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,169 in Kalutara versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Kalutara $1,169
Nosara $3,818

Living in Kalutara costs roughly 67% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kalutara is 55% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 LKR 1,292

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.14 LKR 8,326

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-58.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,481

$7.52 ₡3,373

-0.40%

Cappuccino

$2.48 LKR 821

$4.41 ₡1,978

-43.76%

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

$0.73 LKR 241

$1.74 ₡780

-58.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.5

$1.31 ₡587

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 713

$3.28 ₡1,471

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,014

$4.47 ₡2,004

-31.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 543

$1.56 ₡701

5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$3.02 ₡1,355

-82.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 249

$2.51 ₡1,125

-70.12%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$3.57 ₡1,603

-52.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 LKR 4,469

$7.43 ₡3,333

81.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 LKR 1,625

$10.52 ₡4,717

-53.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 LKR 2,457

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.49 LKR 2,149

$2.35 ₡1,052

176.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.61 ₡720

-49.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,413

$4.80 ₡2,152

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 418

$1.61 ₡724

-21.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 328

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$3.69 ₡1,657

-78.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 289

$1.13 ₡507

-23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 LKR 3,418

$5.18 ₡2,321

99.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 LKR 4,312

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 629

$2.90 ₡1,300

-34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LKR 999

$3.63 ₡1,626

-16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 LKR 39.13

$1.12 ₡504

-89.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.29 LKR 3,077

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-87.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.14 ₡958

-82.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 LKR 59.8

$1.57 ₡703

-88.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 307

$8.52 ₡3,823

-89.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 456

$1.52 ₡682

-9.21%

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

$37.3K LKR 12.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

72.84%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.40%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-38.85%

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

$4.27 LKR 1,413

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 LKR 6,953

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-60.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.89 LKR 2,944

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-87.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 LKR 1,511

$7.89 ₡3,539

-42.21%

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

$38.39 LKR 12.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

-92.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,205 LKR 399.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-89.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.10 LKR 5,995

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-66.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.86 LKR 5,584

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-69.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 LKR 26.4K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.88 LKR 13.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.7 LKR 28.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-89.21%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Kalutara: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kalutara

$234 38.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 50.4% $118

Eating Out

Kalutara

$104 17.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 103% $108

Accommodation & Living

Kalutara

$86 14.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 827% $709

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalutara

$84 13.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 121% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Kalutara

$70 11.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 70.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Kalutara

$18 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 385% $69

Getting Around

Kalutara

$11 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 689% $76

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25.00 in Kalutara vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $352 per month, with Kalutara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

16:01 4:01 PM

11 h 30 min behind Kalutara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,600

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 17, 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 17, 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

Kalutara Nosara 17,580 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalutara
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

Kalutara vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalutara wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kalutara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $912 in Kalutara and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

A monthly transit pass in Kalutara runs roughly 682% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $38.39 in Kalutara versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $608 in Kalutara versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalutara but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kalutara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kalutara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kalutara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kalutara 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 Kalutara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.