Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Darlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Darlington: $1,658 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Darlington
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Darlington Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Darlington

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Darlington

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,658 in Darlington, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Darlington $1,658

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,593 in Darlington, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Darlington $2,593

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,528 in Darlington, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Darlington $3,528

Nosara costs about 11% more than Darlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Darlington sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Darlington by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.37 £10.78

-14.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$58.6 £43.94

4.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.42 £7.07

-20.17%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.56 £2.67

23.88%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.36 £1.77

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.01 £1.51

-34.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.63 £3.48

-29.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.11 £3.08

8.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.28 £0.96

21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.36 £1.02

122.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.27 £1.70

10.57%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.55 £2.67

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.64 £5.73

-2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.98 £5.24

50.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.18 £6.89

52.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.26 £2.45

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.23 £0.92

30.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.48 £2.61

37.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.82 £2.87

-57.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.67 £1.26

127.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.78 £1.34

107.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.19 £0.90

-5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.08 £0.81

146.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$21.62 £16.22

-76.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.98 £6.74

121.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.01 £1.51

44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.01 £2.26

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.58 £1.94

-56.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$84.1 £63.1

-13.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.07 £3.05

-47.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$15.87 £11.91

-46.31%

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

$19.5K £14.7K

10.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.7K £23.0K

12.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$266 £199

-63.74%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.36 £11.52

133.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$44.69 £33.53

19.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.21 £30.17

78.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.78 £5.09

414.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.67 £5.01

18.29%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$815 £611

-39.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$65.5 £49.17

-17.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$56.5 £42.40

-1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 £85.6

-31.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$114 £85.4

-30.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$658 £493

19.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$536 £402

48.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,447 £1,085

172.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,176 £882

20.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,375 £1,782

191.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,697 £2,024

-67.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.61

53.65%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Darlington: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Darlington

$536 32.3% 32.5% $258

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Darlington

$252 15.2% 28.4% $100

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Darlington

$235 14.2% 10.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Darlington

$326 19.6% 75.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Darlington

$158 9.5% 31.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Darlington

$54 3.2% 38.7% $34

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Darlington

$99 * 5.9% 13.1% $11

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 $658 in Darlington. 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 212% higher in Darlington, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $59.0 in Darlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $252 – making Darlington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Darlington

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

92,363

💱 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 Darlington 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Darlington

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 Darlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,487 in Darlington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Darlington, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Darlington. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $815 in Darlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Darlington, where all-in costs run around $1,658, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Darlington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Darlington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Darlington. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.