Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lochboisdale

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,386 in Lochboisdale, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Lochboisdale
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Lochboisdale Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Lochboisdale

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lochboisdale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,386 in Lochboisdale.

Nosara $1,835
Lochboisdale $2,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $3,490 in Lochboisdale.

Nosara $2,825
Lochboisdale $3,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $4,593 in Lochboisdale.

Nosara $3,814
Lochboisdale $4,593

Living in Nosara costs roughly 23% less than in Lochboisdale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 35% above, Lochboisdale 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$21.16 £15.87

-41.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$72.4 £54.3

-15.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$10.62 £7.97

-26.93%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$5.02 £3.77

-11.55%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.16 £1.62

-17.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.83 £1.37

-29.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$5.40 £4.05

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$6.49 £4.87

-31.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.58 £1.19

-1.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.64 £1.23

87.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.99 £1.49

27.14%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.89 £2.92

-11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$9.05 £6.79

-19.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$8.76 £6.57

16.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$16.66 £12.50

-15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.12 £2.34

-26.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.51 £1.13

8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.01 £2.26

59.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.28 £2.46

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.89 £1.42

103.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.60 £1.20

134.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.15 £0.86

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.65 £1.23

56.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$23.74 £17.81

-78.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$11.22 £8.42

77.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$3.33 £2.50

-15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.45 £2.59

2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$3.98 £2.99

-69.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$96.5 £72.4

-23.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$5.94 £4.45

-63.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.20 £0.90

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$25.97 £19.49

-66.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.11 £1.58

-26.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.2K £28.7K

-9.63%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$41.2K £30.9K

-5.86%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$313 £235

-69.75%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$20.11 £15.09

79.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$43.17 £32.39

22.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$45.83 £34.39

60.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$15.99 £12.00

-50.53%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$915 £686

-46.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$21.7K £16.3K

-45.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$134 £100

-58.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$45.41 £34.07

23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$107 £80.1

-24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$91.1 £68.4

-14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,061 £796

-24.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,011 £758

-21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,836 £1,377

118.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,690 £1,268

-16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$5,429 £4,073

30.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$4,125 £3,094

-70.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.79

79.96%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lochboisdale: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Lochboisdale

$1K 42.4% 28% $221

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Lochboisdale

$309 13% 11.7% $41

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Lochboisdale

$317 13.3% 49.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Lochboisdale

$377 15.8% 105% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Lochboisdale

$170 7.1% 40.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Lochboisdale

$78 3.3% 13.2% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Lochboisdale

$124 5.2% 40.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $1,061 in Lochboisdale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $72.0 in Lochboisdale. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $309, with Lochboisdale cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Lochboisdale

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

300

💱 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 Lochboisdale 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lochboisdale

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 Lochboisdale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $3,579 in Lochboisdale 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 $1,061 in Lochboisdale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $915 in Lochboisdale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lochboisdale pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,386 in Lochboisdale, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lochboisdale. 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 Lochboisdale, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Lochboisdale 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 30% less than in Lochboisdale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.