Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margate and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,397 in Margate, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Margate

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,397

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,397 in Margate versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Margate $2,397
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,447 in Margate versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Margate $3,447
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Margate versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Margate $4,498
Nosara $3,818

Living in Margate is roughly 30% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Margate 78% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 £13.22

$12.35 ₡5,539

42.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 £44.44

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 £8.00

$7.52 ₡3,373

41.76%

Cappuccino

$4.58 £3.44

$4.41 ₡1,978

3.85%

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

$1.93 £1.45

$1.74 ₡780

10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$1.31 ₡587

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 £5.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

142.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.08

$4.47 ₡2,004

51.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.56 ₡701

1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$3.02 ₡1,355

-40.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$2.51 ₡1,125

3.98%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$3.57 ₡1,603

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 £7.34

$7.43 ₡3,333

31.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 £7.25

$10.52 ₡4,717

-8.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 £11.77

$13.97 ₡6,265

12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.35 ₡1,052

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.61 ₡720

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 £2.67

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$1.61 ₡724

118.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$3.69 ₡1,657

-51.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.13 ₡507

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$2.66 ₡1,191

-26.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.12 £16.59

$5.18 ₡2,321

327.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 £8.39

$19.88 ₡8,916

-43.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.90 ₡1,300

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 £2.89

$3.63 ₡1,626

6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.47

$1.12 ₡504

194.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.6 £71.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

31.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 £5.96

$2.14 ₡958

271.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.94

$1.57 ₡703

64.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.2 £38.43

$8.52 ₡3,823

501.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.52 ₡682

36.18%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

73.98%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.91%

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

$342 £256

$96.3 ₡43.2K

254.94%

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

$18.66 £14.00

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-48.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.12 £31.60

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-21.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 £34.25

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.01 £12.76

$7.89 ₡3,539

115.59%

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

$2,568 £1,926

$494 ₡221.6K

419.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K £26.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

200.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £68.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

68.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.65 £35.75

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-14.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £70.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.2

$79.6 ₡35.7K

59.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 £900

$788 ₡353.4K

52.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 £754

$794 ₡356.2K

26.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,134 £1,601

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-45.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 £1,247

$1,419 ₡636.5K

17.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,111 £3,834

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-26.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,937 £2,954

$1,224 ₡549.0K

221.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,652 £1,990

$864 ₡387.3K

207.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

8.62

-41.53%

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

Last update for Margate: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Margate

$1K 42%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 21% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margate

$403 16.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 53.9% $217

Groceries & Markets

Margate

$324 13.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.8% $29

Eating Out

Margate

$294 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Margate

$161 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.6% $41

Getting Around

Margate

$130 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 32.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Margate

$80 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 9.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,200 in Margate and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 207% 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: $59.0 in Margate vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $352 per month, with Margate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Margate

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

7 h behind Margate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,465

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Margate Nosara 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Margate
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

Margate vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Margate. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 207% higher in Margate, 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: $1,200 in Margate versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,397 per month in Margate versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 32% less than in Margate. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,397 in Margate, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Margate. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Margate 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 30% less than in Margate. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.