Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
Learn more

Alton Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Alton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Alton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,530 in Alton, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Alton $2,530

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,777 in Alton, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Alton $3,777

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,024 in Alton, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Alton $5,024

Nosara is about 27% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Alton sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Alton by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$26.36 £19.78

-53.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$105 £78.8

-41.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.66 £8.00

-29.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.55 £4.17

-20.54%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.00 £2.25

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.10 £1.58

-37.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$9.03 £6.77

-63.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$7.83 £5.87

-42.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.88 £1.41

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.09 £1.57

44.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.37 £1.78

5.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.37 £2.53

5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.69 £9.52

-41.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.83 £8.12

-2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.10 £12.83

-18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.11 £2.33

-24.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.40 £1.05

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.00 £2.25

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.33 £2.49

-51.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.67 £1.25

127.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.81 £1.36

103.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.45 £1.09

-22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.87 £1.40

42.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$23.32 £17.49

-77.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.63 £7.98

87.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.34 £1.76

23.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.67 £2.01

35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.34 £2.51

-66.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$96.8 £72.6

-24.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.49 £4.12

-61.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.37 £2.53

-53.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$25.82 £19.37

-67.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.12 £1.59

-28.30%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$38.8K £29.1K

-44.31%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.6K £30.4K

-14.92%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$366 £275

-73.69%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.92 £13.44

100.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$40.71 £30.54

31.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$45.21 £33.92

58.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$17.61 £13.21

-55.20%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,896 £2,173

-82.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$35.1K £26.3K

-66.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$113 £84.6

-52.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$54.4 £40.77

1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$125 £94.1

-37.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.4 £73.0

-18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,241 £931

-36.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$992 £744

-19.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,118 £1,589

85.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,668 £1,252

-14.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,099 £3,825

35.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,932 £2,950

-68.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.65

85.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Alton

$992 39.2% 24.9% $198

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Alton

$334 13.2% 5.2% $18

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Alton

$391 15.4% 84.5% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Alton

$425 16.8% 129% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Alton

$175 6.9% 46.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Alton

$80 3.2% 8% $7

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Alton

$133 5.2% 52.2% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,241 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $105 in Alton. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $334 in Alton – so Alton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

03:47 3:47 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,816

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Alton 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Alton

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

Nosara vs Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,530 in Alton – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,795 in Alton. 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.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $2,896 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Alton at $2,530. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,530 in Alton. 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, Alton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.