Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Livingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,067 in Livingston, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Livingston
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Livingston Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Livingston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Livingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,067 in Livingston.

Nosara $1,839
Livingston $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,253 in Livingston.

Nosara $2,828
Livingston $3,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,439 in Livingston.

Nosara $3,818
Livingston $4,439

Living in Nosara costs roughly 11% less than in Livingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Livingston 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.56 £14.68

-36.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$98.9 £74.2

-38.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.41 £7.81

-27.76%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.07 £3.80

-13.02%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.62 £1.96

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.29 £1.72

-42.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.67 £5.00

-50.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.49 £4.87

-31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.43 £1.07

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.83 £1.37

65.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.24 £1.68

12.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.52 £2.64

1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.42 £7.06

-21.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.23 £6.93

13.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.92 £10.44

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.83 £2.13

-16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.88 £1.41

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.84 £2.13

69.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.44 £2.58

-53.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.70 £1.27

123.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.37 £1.03

169.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.18 £0.89

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.72 £1.29

54.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$20.33 £15.25

-74.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.51 £7.89

89.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.05 £2.29

-4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.15 £2.37

15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.04 £2.28

-63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$85.3 £64.0

-14.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.32 £3.99

-59.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.56 £1.17

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$27.39 £20.55

-68.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.12 £1.59

-28.30%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.0K £29.2K

-44.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.9K £29.9K

-13.39%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$322 £242

-70.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.55 £12.42

116.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$41.85 £31.40

28.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.79 £30.60

75.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.63 £7.98

-25.78%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,213 £910

-59.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$17.4K £13.0K

-31.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$90.3 £67.7

-40.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$47.61 £35.72

16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$107 £80.0

-26.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$94.4 £70.8

-15.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$871 £654

-9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$745 £559

6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,858 £1,394

111.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,534 £1,151

-7.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,485 £3,365

54.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,665 £2,750

-66.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,903 £2,928

-77.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.15

67.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Livingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Livingston

$745 36.1% 6.2% $49

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Livingston

$302 14.6% 14.4% $51

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Livingston

$315 15.2% 48.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Livingston

$381 18.4% 105% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Livingston

$153 7.4% 27% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Livingston

$62 3% 29% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Livingston

$111 5.4% 27% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $871 in Livingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 352% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $99.0 in Livingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $302, with Livingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Livingston

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

17:01 5:01 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

56,840

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Livingston 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Livingston

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 Livingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Livingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 352% lower in Livingston. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $871 in Livingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $1,213 in Livingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Livingston pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,067 in Livingston, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Livingston. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Livingston 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 12% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.