Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katunayaka and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $506 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Katunayaka
Learn more

Katunayaka Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Katunayaka vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Katunayaka $506
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $822 per month in Katunayaka vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Katunayaka $822
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $1,138 per month in Katunayaka vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Katunayaka $1,138
Nosara $3,820

Katunayaka is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Katunayaka sits 63% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 LKR 1,278

$12.36 ₡5,575

-68.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.36 LKR 8,429

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-58.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,491

$7.88 ₡3,557

-4.95%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 848

$4.40 ₡1,986

-42.05%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.72 ₡776

-58.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$1.34 ₡603

-79.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 727

$3.34 ₡1,505

-34.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,023

$4.54 ₡2,048

-32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 544

$1.64 ₡739

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$3.16 ₡1,426

-81.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$2.39 ₡1,080

-68.20%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 573

$3.47 ₡1,564

-50.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 LKR 4,503

$7.13 ₡3,217

90.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 LKR 1,627

$10.32 ₡4,655

-52.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$13.97 ₡6,302

-46.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.50 LKR 2,162

$2.29 ₡1,031

183.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 281

$1.62 ₡731

-48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 LKR 1,464

$4.81 ₡2,169

-8.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 428

$1.68 ₡758

-23.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$3.91 ₡1,765

-74.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$3.63 ₡1,640

-79.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 316

$1.13 ₡509

-15.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$2.63 ₡1,188

-82.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 LKR 3,409

$5.02 ₡2,267

104.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.79 LKR 4,251

$19.71 ₡8,893

-35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 636

$2.91 ₡1,314

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 979

$3.54 ₡1,597

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 135

$2.15 ₡969

-80.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$1.63 ₡738

-77.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 310

$8.77 ₡3,958

-89.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 LKR 464

$1.55 ₡700

-9.68%

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

$44.7K LKR 14.8M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

31.81%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

6.34%

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

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-38.75%

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

$4.33 LKR 1,441

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-88.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.11 LKR 7,019

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-59.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 LKR 1,462

$7.54 ₡3,404

-41.64%

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

$38.35 LKR 12.8K

$496 ₡224.0K

-92.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,203 LKR 399.9K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-89.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,138

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-66.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.89 LKR 5,616

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-69.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.36 LKR 13.7K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-47.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 Katunayaka: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Katunayaka

$236 46.6%

Nosara

$351 19% 48.8% $115

Eating Out

Katunayaka

$105 20.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 103% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katunayaka

$84 16.6%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 119% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Katunayaka

$70 13.9%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 71.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Katunayaka

$8.8 * 1.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 840% $74

Getting Around

Katunayaka

$2.3 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 3834% $87

Accommodation & Living

Katunayaka

- * 0%

Nosara

$806 43.7%

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 in Katunayaka versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $351 – making Katunayaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

16:24 4:24 PM

11 h 30 min behind Katunayaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,643

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Katunayaka Nosara 17,530 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Katunayaka
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

Katunayaka vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 265%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Katunayaka and $2,769 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 Katunayaka and $1,846 in Nosara. That makes Katunayaka about 73% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $38 per month in Katunayaka and $496 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 Katunayaka, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Katunayaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Katunayaka to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.