Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Katunayaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $506 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 Katunayaka
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Katunayaka Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Katunayaka

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $506 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Katunayaka $506

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $822 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Katunayaka $822

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $1,138 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Katunayaka $1,138

Nosara costs about 265% more than Katunayaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$3.84 LKR 1,278

221.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$25.36 LKR 8,429

139.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$7.49 LKR 2,491

5.21%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.55 LKR 848

72.55%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.71 LKR 236

142.25%

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

$2.19 LKR 727

52.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$3.08 LKR 1,023

47.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.64 LKR 544

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$0.57 LKR 190

454.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$0.76 LKR 254

214.47%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.72 LKR 573

101.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$13.55 LKR 4,503

-47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$4.89 LKR 1,627

111.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$7.46 LKR 2,481

87.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$6.50 LKR 2,162

-64.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$0.84 LKR 281

92.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$4.40 LKR 1,464

9.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.29 LKR 428

30.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$0.99 LKR 329

294.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$0.76 LKR 253

377.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.95 LKR 316

18.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.45 LKR 151

484.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$10.25 LKR 3,409

-51.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$12.79 LKR 4,251

54.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.91 LKR 636

52.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.95 LKR 979

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.41 LKR 135

424.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.37 LKR 123

340.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$0.93 LKR 310

843.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.40 LKR 464

10.71%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$44.7K LKR 14.8M

-24.14%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

-5.96%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

63.25%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$4.33 LKR 1,441

738.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$21.11 LKR 7,019

146.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$4.40 LKR 1,462

71.36%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$38.35 LKR 12.8K

1194.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$1,203 LKR 399.9K

878.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$18.46 LKR 6,138

198.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$16.89 LKR 5,616

232.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

-1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$41.36 LKR 13.7K

91.15%

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 Katunayaka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Katunayaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Katunayaka

$236 46.6% 32.8% $115

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Katunayaka

$105 20.7% 50.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Katunayaka

$84 16.6% 54.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Katunayaka

$70 13.9% 41.8% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Katunayaka

$2.3 * 0.5% 97.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Katunayaka

$8.8 * 1.7% 89.4% $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 Katunayaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $236 – making Katunayaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

84,643

💱 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 Katunayaka 17,530 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Katunayaka

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 Katunayaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 265%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $759 in Katunayaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $506 in Katunayaka. That makes Katunayaka about 73% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $38 in Katunayaka. 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 Katunayaka, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Katunayaka 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 $506 in Katunayaka to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.