Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Amparai

For one person, living is cheaper in Amparai: $501 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Amparai
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Amparai Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Amparai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Amparai

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 Amparai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $501 in Amparai.

Nosara $1,839
Amparai $501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $815 in Amparai.

Nosara $2,828
Amparai $815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,128 in Amparai.

Nosara $3,818
Amparai $1,128

Living in Nosara is roughly 267% more expensive than in Amparai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Amparai is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.34 LKR 1,437

184.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.60 LKR 8,148

148.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.64 LKR 2,532

-1.57%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.50 LKR 829

76.40%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.73 LKR 242

138.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 LKR 89.6

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.23 LKR 737

47.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.12 LKR 1,033

43.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.64 LKR 542

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.54 LKR 178

459.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.74 LKR 245

239.19%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.57 LKR 521

127.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.64 LKR 4,517

-45.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.78 LKR 1,582

120.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.58 LKR 2,512

84.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.65 LKR 2,201

-64.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.79 LKR 262

103.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.61 LKR 1,527

4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.22 LKR 405

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.02 LKR 339

272.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.80 LKR 265

361.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.93 LKR 308

21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.46 LKR 153

478.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.32 LKR 3,420

-49.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.38 LKR 4,433

48.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.90 LKR 630

52.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.93 LKR 972

23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.40 LKR 133

435.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.35 LKR 115

348.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.94 LKR 311

806.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.38 LKR 456

10.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.3K LKR 12.4M

-42.09%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-14.38%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$54.2 LKR 18.0K

77.59%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.14 LKR 1,372

766.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.40 LKR 6,756

162.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$1.81 LKR 598

335.91%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$37.41 LKR 12.4K

1220.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,223 LKR 404.9K

869.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$17.96 LKR 5,948

200.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.50 LKR 5,464

235.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.4 LKR 26.0K

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$42.66 LKR 14.1K

86.62%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

$90.4 LKR 29.9K

855.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.69

-32.07%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Amparai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Amparai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Amparai

$237 47.4% 32.7% $115

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Amparai

$109 21.8% 48.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Amparai

$79 15.7% 57.6% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Amparai

$70 14% 41.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Amparai

$3.6 * 0.7% 95.9% $84

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Amparai

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.6% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 855% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $25.00 in Amparai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $237 per month, with Amparai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Amparai

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

17:47 5:47 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

110,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Amparai 17,640 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Amparai

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 Amparai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amparai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 267% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 855% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $37.41 in Amparai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Amparai – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $501 in Amparai versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Amparai but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Amparai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Nosara and Amparai 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 Amparai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.