Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $796 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Colombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $796 in Colombo.

Nosara $1,837
Colombo $796

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,198 in Colombo.

Nosara $2,775
Colombo $1,198

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,600 in Colombo.

Nosara $3,712
Colombo $1,600

Living in Nosara is roughly 131% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Colombo is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.52 LKR 1,496

170.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$24.54 LKR 8,118

145.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.51 LKR 2,483

0.40%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.49 LKR 825

73.09%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.72 LKR 238

138.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.27 LKR 90.2

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.24 LKR 740

44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.08 LKR 1,019

45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.55 LKR 514

1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.53 LKR 175

498.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.81 LKR 267

198.77%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.63 LKR 539

119.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$13.98 LKR 4,624

-46.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.01 LKR 1,657

107.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$7.29 LKR 2,412

87.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$6.69 LKR 2,212

-65.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.84 LKR 278

91.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.36 LKR 1,444

8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.22 LKR 405

36.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.99 LKR 329

275.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.82 LKR 270

335.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.93 LKR 307

18.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.47 LKR 154

442.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$10.37 LKR 3,432

-52.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$13.56 LKR 4,487

47.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.87 LKR 620

49.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.98 LKR 984

18.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.18 LKR 60.7

561.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$7.13 LKR 2,358

910.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.38 LKR 125

489.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.34 LKR 114

355.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$0.95 LKR 313

832.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.40 LKR 462

12.14%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

-41.44%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

-14.47%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$54.8 LKR 18.1K

70.47%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$4.17 LKR 1,381

741.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$20.98 LKR 6,941

145.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$13.81 LKR 4,568

417.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$5.62 LKR 1,860

530.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.35 LKR 1,439

80.23%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$37.68 LKR 12.5K

1199.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,201 LKR 397.2K

889.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$18.01 LKR 5,958

197.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$16.83 LKR 5,569

231.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$78.2 LKR 25.9K

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$41.66 LKR 13.8K

89.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$586 LKR 193.8K

34.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$274 LKR 90.7K

184.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,514 LKR 500.7K

155.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$438 LKR 144.9K

221.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,694 LKR 1.2M

88.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,169 LKR 386.8K

2.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$257 LKR 85.1K

240.83%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Colombo

$274 34.1% 64.8% $506

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Colombo

$238 29.6% 32% $112

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Colombo

$110 13.7% 47.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Colombo

$80 10% 55.6% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 42.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 74.2% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Colombo

$10 1.2% 88.5% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 241% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $238 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

753,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Colombo 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 131% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 241% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $796 in Colombo versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $796 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Colombo 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 Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.