Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lowestoft and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,576 in Lowestoft, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lowestoft
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Lowestoft Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lowestoft

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,576

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,576 in Lowestoft versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Lowestoft $2,576
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,791 in Lowestoft versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Lowestoft $3,791
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,006 in Lowestoft versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Lowestoft $5,006
Nosara $3,818

Living in Lowestoft is roughly 40% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lowestoft 91% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.55 £19.92

$12.35 ₡5,539

114.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

70.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.06

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.82%

Cappuccino

$5.59 £4.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

26.76%

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

$2.93 £2.20

$1.74 ₡780

68.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.31 ₡587

58.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 £4.83

$3.28 ₡1,471

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 £5.98

$4.47 ₡2,004

78.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.56 ₡701

18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$3.02 ₡1,355

-33.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 £1.74

$2.51 ₡1,125

-7.57%

Eggs

$5.10 £3.82

$3.57 ₡1,603

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 £9.39

$7.43 ₡3,333

68.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 £7.84

$10.52 ₡4,717

-0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 £13.00

$13.97 ₡6,265

23.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 £2.25

$2.35 ₡1,052

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.61 ₡720

-11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.61 ₡724

109.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$3.69 ₡1,657

-52.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.13 ₡507

24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.39

$2.66 ₡1,191

-30.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.53 £17.66

$5.18 ₡2,321

354.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.17 £9.88

$19.88 ₡8,916

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$2.90 ₡1,300

4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 £3.22

$3.63 ₡1,626

18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$1.12 ₡504

206.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 £72.5

$72.6 ₡32.6K

33.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 £4.27

$2.14 ₡958

165.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.57 ₡703

114.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.61 £19.21

$8.52 ₡3,823

200.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.55

$1.52 ₡682

35.53%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.51%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

17.45%

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

$376 £282

$96.3 ₡43.2K

290.00%

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

$17.91 £13.44

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.63 £30.48

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-24.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.94 £33.71

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 £13.30

$7.89 ₡3,539

124.71%

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

$2,804 £2,103

$494 ₡221.6K

467.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K £27.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

205.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

112.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-1.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 £93.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

60.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 £71.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 £902

$788 ₡353.4K

52.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 £769

$794 ₡356.2K

28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 £1,592

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 £1,222

$1,419 ₡636.5K

14.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,941 £3,707

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-28.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$1,224 ₡549.0K

214.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Lowestoft: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lowestoft

$1K 39.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 22.5% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lowestoft

$434 16.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 57.2% $248

Eating Out

Lowestoft

$380 14.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 44.2% $168

Groceries & Markets

Lowestoft

$349 13.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.8% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lowestoft

$175 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.4% $55

Getting Around

Lowestoft

$133 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 34.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lowestoft

$80 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,203 in Lowestoft and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $104 in Lowestoft vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $352, with Lowestoft cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lowestoft

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

7 h behind Lowestoft

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,358

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Lowestoft Nosara 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lowestoft
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

Lowestoft vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,864 in Lowestoft and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,203 in Lowestoft versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,804 in Lowestoft versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lowestoft pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,576 in Lowestoft, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lowestoft. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lowestoft, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lowestoft 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 40% less than in Lowestoft. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.