Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

London $4,086
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

London $5,816
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

London $7,546
Nosara $3,712

London costs about 122% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Nosara sit above the global median – London by 205%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$12.22 ₡5,509

117.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

78.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$7.54 ₡3,399

37.80%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.31 ₡1,941

34.34%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.72 ₡773

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.35 ₡608

59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$3.24 ₡1,459

188.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$4.48 ₡2,018

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.57 ₡707

14.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$3.17 ₡1,429

-35.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.42 ₡1,091

-4.55%

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$3.57 ₡1,609

41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$7.43 ₡3,349

69.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$10.42 ₡4,697

2.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$13.66 ₡6,156

25.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$2.32 ₡1,044

30.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.61 ₡728

-12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$4.74 ₡2,138

-35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$1.66 ₡747

103.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$3.72 ₡1,679

-55.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$3.57 ₡1,611

-51.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.10 ₡497

28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$2.55 ₡1,149

-29.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$4.95 ₡2,232

369.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$20.01 ₡9,020

-35.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$2.79 ₡1,256

13.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$3.53 ₡1,589

24.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$1.19 ₡537

225.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$72.1 ₡32.5K

246.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$2.24 ₡1,011

154.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$1.55 ₡701

114.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$8.86 ₡3,993

553.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.57 ₡708

29.94%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.22%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

18.07%

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

$376 £284

$93.5 ₡42.1K

302.45%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-49.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-22.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-14.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-40.55%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$7.84 ₡3,535

128.95%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$490 ₡220.7K

485.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

197.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

116.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

59.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$78.9 ₡35.6K

101.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$786 ₡354.3K

263.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$780 ₡351.6K

195.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$3,860 ₡1.7M

34.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$1,407 ₡634.4K

164.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

172.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$1,201 ₡541.3K

556.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$876 ₡395.0K

449.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

8.62

-46.06%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 66.1% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 58.5% $254

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 47.2% $187

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 0% $0.1

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 69.8% $201

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 41.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 450% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $350 in Nosara – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

19:09 7:09 PM

7 h behind London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Nosara 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 122% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in London at $4,086. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in London 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.