Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $509 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kataragama

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $509 in Kataragama, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Kataragama $509

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

Nosara $2,828
Kataragama $828

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,146 in Kataragama, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Kataragama $1,146

Nosara costs about 261% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kataragama is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.48 LKR 1,485

175.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.30 LKR 8,050

151.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.74 LKR 2,564

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.46 LKR 816

79.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.72 LKR 238

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 LKR 89.8

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.19 LKR 727

49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.00 LKR 993

49.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.55 LKR 513

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.57 LKR 188

429.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.81 LKR 267

209.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.57 LKR 519

127.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.05 LKR 4,654

-47.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.95 LKR 1,639

112.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.47 LKR 2,473

87.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.92 LKR 2,292

-66.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.83 LKR 276

93.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.43 LKR 1,466

8.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.22 LKR 405

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.99 LKR 329

283.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.75 LKR 247

392.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.92 LKR 306

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.47 LKR 155

465.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.42 LKR 3,453

-50.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.64 LKR 4,517

45.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.90 LKR 628

52.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.97 LKR 985

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.40 LKR 133

435.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.34 LKR 114

361.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.88 LKR 291

868.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.35 LKR 447

12.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

-42.04%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-15.99%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$53.1 LKR 17.6K

81.51%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.29 LKR 1,420

736.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$21.04 LKR 6,970

154.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.48 LKR 1,483

76.12%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$38.54 LKR 12.8K

1182.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,225 LKR 405.7K

868.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$18.51 LKR 6,131

191.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.88 LKR 5,591

228.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.3 LKR 25.9K

-0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$43.04 LKR 14.3K

84.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

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 Kataragama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Kataragama

$240 47.1% 31.9% $112

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Kataragama

$110 21.5% 48.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Kataragama

$78 15.4% 57.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Kataragama

$71 13.9% 41.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 89.8% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Kataragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.6% $85

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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $24.00 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $240 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

21:27 9:27 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

20,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kataragama 17,690 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 261% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $764 in Kataragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $509 in Kataragama. That's a gap of about 261%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $38.54 in Kataragama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Kataragama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kataragama costs $509 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Kataragama. 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.