Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ely, Cambridgeshire

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,350 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Ely, Cambridgeshire
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,350
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ely, Cambridgeshire

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,350 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Ely, Cambridgeshire $2,350

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,545 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Ely, Cambridgeshire $3,545

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,740 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Ely, Cambridgeshire $4,740

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

Both Nosara and Ely, Cambridgeshire sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Ely, Cambridgeshire by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$23.60 £17.70
-47.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$93.9 £70.5
-34.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$13.23 £9.93
-43.16%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$5.04 £3.78
-12.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$2.45 £1.84
-28.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.76 £1.32
-25.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$5.14 £3.86
-36.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$3.31 £2.48
35.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.23 £0.93
26.83%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.64 £1.23
84.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$2.66 £1.99
-5.64%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$3.51 £2.64
1.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$10.60 £7.95
-29.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$11.14 £8.35
-5.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$16.97 £12.73
-17.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$3.99 £2.99
-41.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.31 £0.98
22.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.57 £1.93
86.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$4.23 £3.17
-61.94%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.61 £1.21
136.02%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.62 £1.22
127.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.14 £0.86
-0.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$1.48 £1.11
79.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$20.82 £15.62
-75.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$10.68 £8.01
86.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$2.17 £1.63
33.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.76 £2.07
31.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$5.70 £4.27
-80.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$56.3 £42.25
29.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$4.19 £3.14
-48.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$2.37 £1.78
-33.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$2.14 £1.60
-28.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$40.3K £30.2K
-46.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$41.7K £31.3K
-17.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$274 £205
-64.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$16.82 £12.62
113.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$32.97 £24.73
62.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$43.38 £32.54
65.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$15.58 £11.69
124.07%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$15.96 £11.97
-50.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$1,716 £1,288
-71.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$14.6K £11.0K
-19.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$95.5 £71.7
-43.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$55.4 £41.57
-0.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$123 £92.6
-36.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$104 £78.0
-23.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$1,130 £848
-30.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$1,029 £772
-22.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,860 £1,396
111.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$1,753 £1,315
-19.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$5,848 £4,387
18.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$5,049 £3,788
-75.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$3,284 £2,464
-73.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
4.62
86.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ely, Cambridgeshire: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$1K 29.5% $235
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$319 9.4% $33
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$338 59.6% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$324 74.2% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$170 41.7% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$75 13.8% $12
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Ely, Cambridgeshire
$95 9.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,130 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. 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 280% higher in Ely, Cambridgeshire, 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 $94.0 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $319 in Ely, Cambridgeshire – so Ely, Cambridgeshire wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇬🇧 Ely, Cambridgeshire
🕒 Local time
21:34 9:34 PM
04:34 4:34 AM
7 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
20,574
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Ely, Cambridgeshire 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Ely, Cambridgeshire

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 Ely, Cambridgeshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ely, Cambridgeshire cheaper than Nosara?
Yes – Ely, Cambridgeshire is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,525 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Nosara and in Ely, Cambridgeshire?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $2,350 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. That's a gap of about 28%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 29% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Ely, Cambridgeshire?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Ely, Cambridgeshire at $2,350. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ely, Cambridgeshire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nosara or Ely, Cambridgeshire more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Ely, Cambridgeshire?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ely, Cambridgeshire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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