Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kolonnawa

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $488 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Kolonnawa $488

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $794 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Kolonnawa $794

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $1,100 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Kolonnawa $1,100

Nosara costs about 278% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Kolonnawa is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$3.87 LKR 1,285

219.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$25.33 LKR 8,422

139.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$7.38 LKR 2,453

6.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.45 LKR 816

79.59%

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

$0.25 LKR 82.6

436.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$2.16 LKR 718

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$3.06 LKR 1,018

48.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.56 LKR 519

5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$0.53 LKR 178

496.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$0.58 LKR 192

312.07%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.66 LKR 551

109.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$10.53 LKR 3,502

-32.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$4.63 LKR 1,539

122.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$7.32 LKR 2,433

90.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-66.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$0.85 LKR 281

90.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$4.43 LKR 1,472

8.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.32 LKR 439

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.04 LKR 347

275.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$0.77 LKR 255

371.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.93 LKR 308

21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.43 LKR 142

511.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-51.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$10.50 LKR 3,489

87.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.77 LKR 588

64.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.22 LKR 738

59.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.16 LKR 53.2

656.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.40 LKR 134

437.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.35 LKR 116

365.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$0.93 LKR 308

843.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.33 LKR 442

16.54%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

-22.74%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

-6.41%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

59.80%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$4.20 LKR 1,397

764.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$20.66 LKR 6,870

151.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$4.65 LKR 1,546

62.15%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

1229.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

890.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$18.07 LKR 6,007

205.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$16.73 LKR 5,562

235.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

89.64%

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 Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 38.1% $134

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 51.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 54% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 41.6% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 96.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 88.7% $73

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 Kolonnawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $217 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

64,800

💱 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 Kolonnawa 17,550 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kolonnawa

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 Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 278% more than Kolonnawa, 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 $2,769 per month in Nosara and $732 in Kolonnawa. 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 $488 in Kolonnawa. That makes Kolonnawa about 74% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $37 in Kolonnawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,846 in Nosara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.