Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negombo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $402 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
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Negombo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$402

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $402 in Negombo versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Negombo $402
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $649 in Negombo versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Negombo $649
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $897 in Negombo versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Negombo $897
Nosara $3,818

Living in Negombo costs roughly 78% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Negombo is 70% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 LKR 1,483

$12.35 ₡5,539

-63.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.63 LKR 5,508

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 LKR 2,516

$7.52 ₡3,373

0.93%

Cappuccino

$1.23 LKR 406

$4.41 ₡1,978

-72.11%

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

$0.69 LKR 228

$1.74 ₡780

-60.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.5

$1.31 ₡587

-80.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 712

$3.28 ₡1,471

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 978

$4.47 ₡2,004

-34.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.56 ₡701

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$3.02 ₡1,355

-82.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 245

$2.51 ₡1,125

-70.52%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 543

$3.57 ₡1,603

-54.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.01 LKR 4,642

$7.43 ₡3,333

88.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 LKR 1,366

$10.52 ₡4,717

-60.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 LKR 1,986

$13.97 ₡6,265

-57.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 LKR 585

$2.35 ₡1,052

-24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 LKR 229

$1.61 ₡720

-57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 LKR 738

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 LKR 395

$1.61 ₡724

-26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 242

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$3.69 ₡1,657

-78.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.13 ₡507

-17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 LKR 3,359

$5.18 ₡2,321

95.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 LKR 4,480

$19.88 ₡8,916

-31.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 646

$2.90 ₡1,300

-32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 997

$3.63 ₡1,626

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 LKR 94.9

$1.12 ₡504

-74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.14 ₡958

-82.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.57 ₡703

-76.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$8.52 ₡3,823

-89.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.52 ₡682

-34.21%

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

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

72.42%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.35%

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

$25.65 LKR 8,497

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-73.36%

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

$4.21 LKR 1,395

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.85 LKR 6,908

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-61.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.27 LKR 5,059

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-78.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.07 LKR 3,004

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-74.02%

Cinema Ticket

$2.45 LKR 813

$7.89 ₡3,539

-68.95%

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

$37.97 LKR 12.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-92.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$446 LKR 147.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-96.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.82 LKR 2,920

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-83.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.87 LKR 5,586

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-69.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.78 LKR 12.2K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-52.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.22 LKR 8,023

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-69.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 LKR 59.7K

$864 ₡387.3K

-79.13%

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 Negombo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Negombo

$194 48.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 81.1% $158

Eating Out

Negombo

$94 23.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 126% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negombo

$51 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 266% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Negombo

$39 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 208% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Negombo

$20 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 333% $67

Getting Around

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 2470% $84

Accommodation & Living

Negombo

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 379% 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: $17.00 in Negombo vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $352 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Negombo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

06:17 6:17 AM

11 h 30 min behind Negombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,449

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Negombo Nosara 17,520 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Negombo
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

Negombo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 358% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 379% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $37.97 in Negombo versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $402 in Negombo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Negombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $402 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Negombo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Negombo 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 Negombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 358% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.