Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,368 in Lerwick, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lerwick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,368 in Lerwick.

Nosara $1,835
Lerwick $2,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $3,415 in Lerwick.

Nosara $2,825
Lerwick $3,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $4,462 in Lerwick.

Nosara $3,814
Lerwick $4,462

Living in Nosara costs roughly 22% less than in Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 35% above, Lerwick 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$20.15 £15.11

-38.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$98.5 £73.9

-37.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$10.35 £7.76

-25.02%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$5.40 £4.05

-17.78%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.25 £1.69

-20.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.64 £1.23

-21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$6.45 £4.84

-49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.86 £4.40

-24.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.55 £1.16

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.69 £1.27

82.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.21 £1.66

14.48%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.02 £3.02

-14.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.37 £7.03

-21.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$8.57 £6.43

19.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$14.44 £10.84

-2.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.03 £2.27

-24.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.51 £1.13

8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.76 £2.07

73.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.28 £2.46

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.83 £1.37

110.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.71 £1.28

119.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.26 £0.95

-13.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.55 £1.16

67.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$24.02 £18.02

-78.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$10.48 £7.86

90.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$3.00 £2.25

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.27 £2.46

7.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$3.07 £2.30

-60.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$83.1 £62.3

-11.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.23 £3.18

-48.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.35 £1.76

-33.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$24.03 £18.03

-63.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.34 £1.75

-33.76%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.9K £29.2K

-11.14%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$34.5K £25.9K

12.42%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$309 £232

-69.36%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$19.33 £14.50

87.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$45.26 £33.95

17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$52.8 £39.61

39.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$13.32 £9.99

-40.62%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$1,392 £1,045

-64.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$24.5K £18.4K

-51.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$88.7 £66.5

-38.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$50.6 £37.93

10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$89.1 £66.8

-9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 £82.8

-29.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,112 £834

-28.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,036 £777

-23.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,395 £1,797

67.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,523 £1,143

-7.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,646 £3,486

52.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$3,438 £2,579

-64.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.09

69.35%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 31.2% $246

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 14.7% $51

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 48.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 103% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 25.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 11.3% $10

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 25.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $99.0 in Lerwick. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $298, with Lerwick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Lerwick 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $3,552 in Lerwick 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $2,368 in Lerwick – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 12% less than in Lerwick. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,368 in Lerwick, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lerwick. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lerwick, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Lerwick 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lerwick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.