Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandana and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $507 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 Kandana
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Kandana Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$507

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $507 per month in Kandana vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Kandana $507
Nosara $1,839

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

Kandana $823
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Kandana vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Kandana $1,140
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$12.35 ₡5,539

-63.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 LKR 8,154

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$7.52 ₡3,373

-1.99%

Cappuccino

$2.40 LKR 794

$4.41 ₡1,978

-45.58%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.74 ₡780

-59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.4

$1.31 ₡587

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 721

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 991

$4.47 ₡2,004

-33.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.56 ₡701

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$3.02 ₡1,355

-82.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 259

$2.51 ₡1,125

-68.92%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 547

$3.57 ₡1,603

-53.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 LKR 4,612

$7.43 ₡3,333

87.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 LKR 1,653

$10.52 ₡4,717

-52.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 LKR 2,401

$13.97 ₡6,265

-48.10%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 LKR 2,230

$2.35 ₡1,052

186.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$1.61 ₡720

-50.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 LKR 1,464

$4.80 ₡2,152

-7.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 421

$1.61 ₡724

-21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 340

$3.80 ₡1,703

-72.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$3.69 ₡1,657

-79.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 294

$1.13 ₡507

-21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 156

$2.66 ₡1,191

-82.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 LKR 3,461

$5.18 ₡2,321

101.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 LKR 4,573

$19.88 ₡8,916

-30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 650

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 LKR 965

$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)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.14 ₡958

-82.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.57 ₡703

-76.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$8.52 ₡3,823

-89.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$37.7K LKR 12.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.32%

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

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

19.42%

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

$54.9 LKR 18.2K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-43.03%

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

$4.26 LKR 1,411

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.50 LKR 6,789

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-61.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 LKR 1,439

$7.89 ₡3,539

-44.87%

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

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

-92.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,230 LKR 407.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-89.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.89 LKR 5,926

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-66.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.37 LKR 5,423

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-70.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.99 LKR 14.2K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-46.00%

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)

$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 Kandana: 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

Kandana

$239 47.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 47.6% $114

Eating Out

Kandana

$108 21.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 97% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandana

$80 15.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 133% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Kandana

$70 13.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 72.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Kandana

$8.7 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 905% $79

Getting Around

Kandana

$2.3 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3772% $85

Accommodation & Living

Kandana

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Kandana versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $352 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandana

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

08:58 8:58 AM

11 h 30 min behind Kandana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

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

Kandana Nosara 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandana
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

Kandana vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 263%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $760 per month in Kandana 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 $507 in Kandana and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 263%.

Kindergarten costs $37.07 per month in Kandana and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kandana, where all-in costs run around $507, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kandana – 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 Kandana. 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.