Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chester

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,365 in Chester, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Chester
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Chester Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Chester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chester

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,365 in Chester, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Chester $2,365

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,402 in Chester, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Chester $3,402

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,438 in Chester, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Chester $4,438

Nosara is about 22% cheaper than Chester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Chester sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Chester by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.64 £14.74

-37.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$87.2 £65.4

-29.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.43 £7.82

-27.90%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.92 £3.69

-10.37%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.49 £1.87

-30.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.83 £1.37

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.48 £4.86

-49.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.55 £4.92

-31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.69 £1.27

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.79 £1.34

68.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.38 £1.78

5.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.98 £2.99

-10.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.61 £6.46

-13.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.21 £6.16

28.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.77 £10.33

1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.01 £2.26

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.68 £1.26

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.83 £2.12

69.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.90 £2.18

-44.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.94 £1.45

95.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.45 £1.09

154.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.28 £0.96

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.55 £1.16

71.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$23.06 £17.30

-77.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.14 £8.36

78.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.84 £2.13

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.25 £2.44

11.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.61 £1.96

-57.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$68.6 £51.5

5.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.33 £4.00

-59.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.38 £1.04

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.23 £16.68

-61.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.06 £1.55

-26.21%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.8K £28.4K

-42.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.4K £30.3K

-14.58%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$339 £254

-71.56%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$20.84 £15.64

72.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$40.75 £30.58

31.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$48.21 £36.17

48.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.02 £11.27

132.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$13.28 £9.96

-40.59%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,591 £1,194

-68.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$15.7K £11.8K

-24.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$87.8 £65.9

-38.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.24 £30.94

34.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$99.2 £74.4

-21.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$88.7 £66.5

-10.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,337 £1,003

-41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,051 £789

-24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,972 £1,479

99.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,610 £1,208

-11.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,847 £2,886

79.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,289 £2,467

-62.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,987 £2,991

-78.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.15

67.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chester: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Chester

$1.1K 44.5% 32.4% $257

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Chester

$295 12.5% 16.3% $58

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Chester

$310 13.1% 46.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Chester

$400 16.9% 115% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Chester

$143 6% 18.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Chester

$75 3.2% 14.4% $13

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Chester

$91 3.9% 4.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,337 in Chester. 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 362% higher in Chester, 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 Chester. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $295 in Chester – so Chester wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Chester

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

06:51 6:51 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

119,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Chester 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Chester

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 Chester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chester costs about 29% 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 $3,548 in Chester. 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.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,591 in Chester. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Chester – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Chester at $2,365. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,365 in Chester. 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, Chester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.