Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kalutara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $608 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
Learn more

Kalutara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kalutara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $608 in Kalutara.

Nosara $1,839
Kalutara $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $888 in Kalutara.

Nosara $2,828
Kalutara $888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,169 in Kalutara.

Nosara $3,818
Kalutara $1,169

Living in Nosara is roughly 202% more expensive than in Kalutara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Kalutara is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.90 LKR 1,292

216.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$25.14 LKR 8,326

143.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.49 LKR 2,481

0.40%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.48 LKR 821

77.82%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.73 LKR 241

138.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 LKR 89.5

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.15 LKR 713

52.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.06 LKR 1,014

46.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.64 LKR 543

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.53 LKR 176

469.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.75 LKR 249

234.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.71 LKR 568

108.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.49 LKR 4,469

-44.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.91 LKR 1,625

114.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.42 LKR 2,457

88.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.49 LKR 2,149

-63.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.81 LKR 268

98.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.27 LKR 1,413

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.26 LKR 418

27.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.99 LKR 328

283.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.81 LKR 269

355.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 LKR 289

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.43 LKR 142

518.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.32 LKR 3,418

-49.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.02 LKR 4,312

52.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.90 LKR 629

52.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.02 LKR 999

20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.12 LKR 39.13

833.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$9.29 LKR 3,077

681.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.38 LKR 125

463.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.18 LKR 59.8

772.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.93 LKR 307

816.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.38 LKR 456

10.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.3K LKR 12.4M

-42.14%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-15.54%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$58.9 LKR 19.5K

63.54%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.27 LKR 1,413

740.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.99 LKR 6,953

155.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$8.89 LKR 2,944

705.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.56 LKR 1,511

73.03%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$38.39 LKR 12.7K

1187.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,205 LKR 399.0K

884.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$18.10 LKR 5,995

198.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.86 LKR 5,584

228.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.7 LKR 26.4K

-2.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$41.88 LKR 13.9K

90.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$85.7 LKR 28.4K

826.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Kalutara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kalutara

$86 14.1% 89.2% $709

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kalutara

$234 38.5% 33.5% $118

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kalutara

$104 17.2% 50.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kalutara

$84 13.8% 54.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kalutara

$70 11.6% 41.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kalutara

$18 3% 79.4% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kalutara

$11 1.8% 87.3% $76

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $25.00 in Kalutara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $234 per month, with Kalutara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

04:54 4:54 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

39,600

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kalutara 17,580 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kalutara

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 Kalutara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalutara wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kalutara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $912 in Kalutara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

A monthly transit pass in Kalutara runs roughly 682% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $38.39 in Kalutara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $608 in Kalutara versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalutara but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Kalutara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kalutara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kalutara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Kalutara 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 Kalutara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.