Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $579 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Matara

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $579 in Matara, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Matara $579

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $845 in Matara, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Matara $845

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,112 in Matara, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Matara $1,112

Nosara costs about 218% more than Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Matara is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.81 LKR 1,262

224.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.67 LKR 8,171

147.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.70 LKR 2,551

-2.34%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.46 LKR 815

79.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.67 LKR 222

159.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 LKR 89.5

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.22 LKR 735

47.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.04 LKR 1,006

47.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.56 LKR 516

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.53 LKR 176

469.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.76 LKR 251

230.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.52 LKR 504

134.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.89 LKR 4,601

-46.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.98 LKR 1,651

111.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.39 LKR 2,449

89.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.70 LKR 2,220

-64.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.47 LKR 155

242.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.48 LKR 1,485

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.85 LKR 281

89.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.97 LKR 322

291.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.62 LKR 206

495.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.93 LKR 308

21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.46 LKR 151

478.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$9.74 LKR 3,227

-46.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.05 LKR 4,321

52.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.85 LKR 612

56.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.91 LKR 963

24.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.29 LKR 94.6

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.40 LKR 134

435.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.37 LKR 123

324.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.87 LKR 288

879.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.32 LKR 437

15.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

-41.21%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

-14.86%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$46.01 LKR 15.2K

109.28%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.29 LKR 1,420

736.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$21.18 LKR 7,016

153.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.42 LKR 1,464

78.51%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$38.19 LKR 12.6K

1193.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,210 LKR 400.7K

880.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$18.27 LKR 6,051

195.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.83 LKR 5,575

229.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.0 LKR 26.5K

-2.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$41.05 LKR 13.6K

93.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$184 LKR 61.0K

328.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$89.1 LKR 29.5K

791.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$106 LKR 35.2K

712.60%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Matara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Matara

$89 15.4% 88.8% $705

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Matara

$232 40% 34.2% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Matara

$104 18% 50.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Matara

$71 12.4% 61.5% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Matara

$70 12.1% 41.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Matara

$8.8 * 1.5% 89.9% $79

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6% 96.1% $84

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $184 in Matara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 713% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $25.00 in Matara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $232 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

02:34 2:34 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

100,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Matara 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 218%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $868 in Matara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $579 in Matara. That's a gap of about 218%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $38.19 in Matara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Matara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.