Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kirkwall and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,121 in Kirkwall versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Kirkwall $2,121
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,026 in Kirkwall versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Kirkwall $3,026
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Kirkwall versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Kirkwall $3,931
Nosara $3,814

Living in Kirkwall is roughly 16% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kirkwall 57% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.63 £17.73

$12.34 ₡5,535

91.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 £71.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

54.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.93

$7.76 ₡3,481

36.21%

Cappuccino

$3.92 £2.94

$4.44 ₡1,992

-11.71%

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

$3.26 £2.44

$1.79 ₡803

82.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 £0.98

$1.29 ₡580

1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.20 £4.65

$3.24 ₡1,451

91.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 £6.36

$4.43 ₡1,985

91.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 £0.59

$1.55 ₡696

-49.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$3.08 ₡1,380

-48.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.53 ₡1,133

-18.97%

Eggs

$3.22 £2.42

$3.45 ₡1,546

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 £4.95

$7.32 ₡3,284

-9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.73

$10.24 ₡4,594

-12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 £11.92

$14.10 ₡6,326

12.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$2.29 ₡1,027

-3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$1.64 ₡737

20.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$4.79 ₡2,149

-67.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 £0.99

$1.64 ₡735

-19.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$3.85 ₡1,727

-71.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 £0.82

$3.75 ₡1,681

-70.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 £0.58

$1.09 ₡488

-29.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 £0.81

$2.59 ₡1,160

-58.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.10 £15.08

$5.12 ₡2,295

292.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 £6.89

$19.92 ₡8,931

-53.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.80 ₡1,255

-3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 £2.16

$3.52 ₡1,580

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$10.51 £7.89

$1.22 ₡549

761.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.4

$73.9 ₡33.1K

45.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 £3.90

$2.17 ₡973

139.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.93

$1.56 ₡698

65.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$8.67 ₡3,886

212.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.55 ₡697

32.26%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

9.55%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

6.21%

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

$282 £212

$94.8 ₡42.5K

197.89%

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

$30.12 £22.60

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-16.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.04 £24.79

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-37.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 £31.31

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 £8.60

$7.91 ₡3,548

44.88%

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

$1,237 £928

$490 ₡219.9K

152.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.7

$54.8 ₡24.6K

67.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.72 £32.80

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-21.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 £71.3

$80.4 ₡36.0K

18.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 £103

$77.9 ₡34.9K

76.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 £701

$801 ₡359.1K

16.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 £594

$790 ₡354.1K

0.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 £887

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-70.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 £725

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-31.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,914 £1,436

$887 ₡397.6K

115.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

8.62

-41.18%

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

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kirkwall

$792 37.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 0.3% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kirkwall

$346 16.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 46.8% $162

Eating Out

Kirkwall

$334 15.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 36.3% $121

Groceries & Markets

Kirkwall

$252 11.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 38.7% $98

Getting Around

Kirkwall

$167 7.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 47% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Kirkwall

$165 7.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 26.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Kirkwall

$65 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 38.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $935 in Kirkwall and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkwall pays 116% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $95.0 in Kirkwall vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $350, with Kirkwall cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

7 h behind Kirkwall

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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 22, 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 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kirkwall Nosara 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kirkwall
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

Kirkwall vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kirkwall and Nosara differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,121 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 116% higher in Kirkwall, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $935 in Kirkwall versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,121 per month in Kirkwall versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,121 in Kirkwall, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Kirkwall. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kirkwall 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Kirkwall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.