Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bedford

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,097 in Bedford, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bedford outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Bedford
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Bedford Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bedford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bedford

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,097 in Bedford, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Bedford $2,097

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,291 in Bedford, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Bedford $3,291

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,486 in Bedford, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Bedford $4,486

Nosara is about 12% cheaper than Bedford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Bedford sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Bedford by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.10 £15.08

-38.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$86.6 £65.0

-29.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.65 £7.99

-29.39%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.59 £3.44

-3.92%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.03 £1.52

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.21 £0.91

8.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.45 £4.84

-49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.84 £4.38

-23.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.70 £1.28

-8.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.46 £1.10

106.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.68 £1.26

49.40%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.80 £2.85

-6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.09 £6.82

-18.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.96 £6.72

17.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.62 £9.47

10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.26 £2.44

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.30 £0.98

23.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.47 £1.85

94.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.20 £2.40

-49.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.32 £0.99

187.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.32 £0.99

179.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.03 £0.77

9.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.30 £0.97

104.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$23.05 £17.29

-77.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.65 £7.99

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.58 £1.94

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.36 £1.77

53.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.56 £1.92

-56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.99 £3.74

-57.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.43 £1.07

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$23.92 £17.95

-64.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.92 £1.44

-20.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.5K £28.1K

-42.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.5K £30.4K

-14.82%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$316 £237

-69.54%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.63 £13.22

103.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$39.85 £29.90

34.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$36.86 £27.66

94.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$15.90 £11.93

-50.38%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$937 £703

-47.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.6K £16.2K

-44.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.92 £17.95

125.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.54 £19.16

116.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.6 £59.7

-2.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$86.7 £65.1

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,115 £837

-29.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$952 £714

-16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,353 £1,766

67.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,998 £1,499

-28.95%

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

$3,170 £2,378

-72.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.67

84.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bedford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bedford

$952 45.4% 19.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bedford

$279 13.3% 20.9% $74

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bedford

$305 14.5% 43.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bedford

$374 17.8% 101% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bedford

$97 4.6% 19.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bedford

$69 3.3% 21.4% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bedford

$22 * 1.1% 74.3% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,115 in Bedford. 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 267% higher in Bedford, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $87.0 in Bedford. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $279 in Bedford – so Bedford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Bedford

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

80,000

💱 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 Bedford 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bedford

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 Bedford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bedford costs about 14% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,146 in Bedford. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $2,097 in Bedford. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $937 in Bedford. 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 Bedford at $2,097. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bedford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,097 in Bedford. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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