Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dambulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
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Dambulla Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dambulla

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $505 in Dambulla, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Dambulla $505

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $818 in Dambulla, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Dambulla $818

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $1,131 in Dambulla, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Dambulla $1,131

Nosara costs about 266% more than Dambulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Dambulla is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$3.85 LKR 1,281

221.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$25.00 LKR 8,311

143.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$7.66 LKR 2,546

2.87%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.47 LKR 821

78.14%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.67 LKR 224

156.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.27 LKR 89.9

396.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$2.27 LKR 753

47.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$2.93 LKR 975

54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.63 LKR 543

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$0.56 LKR 188

464.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$0.77 LKR 254

210.39%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.63 LKR 542

112.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$13.55 LKR 4,504

-47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$4.92 LKR 1,635

109.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$7.30 LKR 2,428

91.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$6.47 LKR 2,152

-64.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$0.87 LKR 289

86.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$4.33 LKR 1,441

11.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.32 LKR 440

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.01 LKR 336

287.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$0.79 LKR 262

359.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.87 LKR 289

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.43 LKR 142

511.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$10.35 LKR 3,440

-51.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$12.67 LKR 4,214

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.89 LKR 627

53.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.93 LKR 974

20.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.07 LKR 23.76

1628.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.38 LKR 126

465.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.38 LKR 125

328.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$0.87 LKR 289

908.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.37 LKR 456

13.14%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-22.53%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-6.08%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

59.32%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$4.30 LKR 1,431

743.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$20.98 LKR 6,976

147.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$4.57 LKR 1,520

64.99%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

1232.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$1,199 LKR 398.5K

881.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$18.35 LKR 6,102

200.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$16.43 LKR 5,462

241.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

92.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Dambulla

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Dambulla

$234 46.4% 33.3% $117

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Dambulla

$104 20.7% 51% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Dambulla

$85 16.9% 53.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Dambulla

$69 13.7% 42.6% $51

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5% 97.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8% 88.9% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $25 in Dambulla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $234 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

68,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dambulla 17,520 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dambulla

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 Dambulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $505 in Dambulla – roughly 266% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $757 in Dambulla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $25 in Dambulla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Dambulla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $505 in Dambulla to $1,846 in Nosara. 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.