Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kolonnawa vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Kolonnawa $488
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $794 per month in Kolonnawa vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Kolonnawa $794
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Kolonnawa vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Nosara $3,820

Kolonnawa is about 74% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kolonnawa sits 64% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$12.36 ₡5,575

-68.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,422

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-58.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,453

$7.88 ₡3,557

-6.35%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 816

$4.40 ₡1,986

-44.32%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.72 ₡776

-58.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$1.34 ₡603

-81.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$3.34 ₡1,505

-35.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$4.54 ₡2,048

-32.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.64 ₡739

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$3.16 ₡1,426

-83.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$2.39 ₡1,080

-75.73%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$3.47 ₡1,564

-52.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,502

$7.13 ₡3,217

47.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$10.32 ₡4,655

-55.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,433

$13.97 ₡6,302

-47.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$2.29 ₡1,031

194.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$1.62 ₡731

-47.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$4.81 ₡2,169

-7.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$1.68 ₡758

-21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$3.91 ₡1,765

-73.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$3.63 ₡1,640

-78.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.13 ₡509

-17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$2.63 ₡1,188

-83.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,436

$5.02 ₡2,267

105.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,489

$19.71 ₡8,893

-46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$2.91 ₡1,314

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$3.54 ₡1,597

-37.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$1.21 ₡545

-86.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$2.15 ₡969

-81.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.63 ₡738

-78.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$8.77 ₡3,958

-89.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$1.55 ₡700

-14.19%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

29.43%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

6.85%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-37.42%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-88.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-60.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$7.54 ₡3,404

-38.33%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

$496 ₡224.0K

-92.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-89.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,007

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-67.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,562

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-70.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-47.27%

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 Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Nosara

$351 19% 61.5% $134

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 107% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 117% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 71.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 789% $73

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 3087% $86

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 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 Kolonnawa versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $351 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

11:50 11:50 AM

11 h 30 min behind Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

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

Kolonnawa Nosara 17,550 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Kolonnawa
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

Kolonnawa vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 278% more than Kolonnawa, 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 $732 per month in Kolonnawa 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 $488 in Kolonnawa and $1,846 in Nosara. That’s a gap of about 278%.

Kindergarten costs $37 per month in Kolonnawa and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,846 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.