Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,563 in Manchester, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Manchester
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Manchester Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Manchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,563

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,563 per month in Manchester vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Manchester $2,563
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,739 per month in Manchester vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Manchester $3,739
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,915 per month in Manchester vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Manchester $4,915
Nosara $3,712

Manchester costs about 39% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manchester and Nosara sit above the global median – Manchester by 91%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.48 £14.73

$12.22 ₡5,509

59.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.9 £65.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

44.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 £7.99

$7.54 ₡3,399

40.19%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.61

$4.31 ₡1,941

10.90%

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

$2.52 £1.90

$1.72 ₡773

46.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.21

$1.35 ₡608

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 £5.95

$3.24 ₡1,459

142.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 £5.08

$4.48 ₡2,018

50.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.12

$1.57 ₡707

-5.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 £1.47

$3.17 ₡1,429

-38.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.46

$2.42 ₡1,091

-20.25%

Eggs

$3.99 £3.02

$3.57 ₡1,609

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 £7.21

$7.43 ₡3,349

28.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 £6.77

$10.42 ₡4,697

-14.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 £11.53

$13.66 ₡6,156

11.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.30

$2.32 ₡1,044

31.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.61 ₡728

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 £2.28

$4.74 ₡2,138

-36.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.63

$1.66 ₡747

109.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$3.57 ₡1,611

-63.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.10 ₡497

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.96

$2.55 ₡1,149

-50.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.04 £17.42

$4.95 ₡2,232

365.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.19

$20.01 ₡9,020

-45.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 £1.83

$2.79 ₡1,256

-13.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.29

$3.53 ₡1,589

-14.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 £1.95

$1.19 ₡537

115.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.7

$72.1 ₡32.5K

44.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 £3.39

$2.24 ₡1,011

100.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 £1.57

$1.55 ₡701

34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 £22.47

$8.86 ₡3,993

235.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.59

$1.57 ₡708

34.39%

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

$38.8K £29.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

78.09%

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

$40.2K £30.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

16.06%

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

$243 £184

$93.5 ₡42.1K

160.52%

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

$16.52 £12.48

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-52.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.77 £30.06

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-22.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 £42.75

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-20.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 £13.63

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-49.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 £9.86

$7.84 ₡3,535

66.45%

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

$1,246 £942

$490 ₡220.7K

154.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £15.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

67.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 £63.1

$53.5 ₡24.1K

55.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 £32.01

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-24.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 £71.3

$79.3 ₡35.7K

18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 £77.8

$78.9 ₡35.6K

30.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,385

$786 ₡354.3K

133.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 £935

$780 ₡351.6K

58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,095 £2,340

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-19.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 £1,516

$1,407 ₡634.4K

42.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,607 £3,482

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-33.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,481 £3,387

$1,201 ₡541.3K

273.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,438 £2,599

$876 ₡395.0K

292.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

8.62

-44.08%

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

Last update for Manchester: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester

$1.2K 49.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 37% $458

Eating Out

Manchester

$314 12.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester

$300 12%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 39.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Manchester

$298 11.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 17.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester

$145 5.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.2% $25

Getting Around

Manchester

$129 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester

$83 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.4% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,832 in Manchester 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 292% higher in Manchester, 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 $87.0 in Manchester versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Manchester vs $350 in Nosara – so Manchester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Manchester

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

18:31 6:31 PM

7 h behind Manchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

503,100

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

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Between locations

Manchester Nosara 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Manchester
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

Manchester vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Manchester is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,844 per month in Manchester 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,246 per month in Manchester and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Manchester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Manchester at $2,563. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manchester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Manchester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.