Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Merthyr Tydfil

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Merthyr Tydfil

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Merthyr Tydfil $2,067

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,860 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Merthyr Tydfil $2,860

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,654 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Merthyr Tydfil $3,654

Nosara is about 11% cheaper than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Merthyr Tydfil sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Merthyr Tydfil by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$23.35 £17.52

-47.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$61.9 £46.41

-1.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.50 £7.88

-28.38%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.62 £3.46

-4.55%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.50 £1.87

-30.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.70 £1.27

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.33 £4.75

-48.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.76 £4.32

-22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.38 £1.04

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.60 £0.45

403.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.69 £1.27

48.52%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.07 £3.05

-12.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.31 £6.24

-10.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.83 £6.63

19.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.98 £9.74

7.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.66 £1.99

-11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.71 £1.28

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.59 £1.94

85.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.20 £2.40

-49.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.22 £0.91

211.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.33 £1.00

177.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.16 £0.87

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.08 £0.81

146.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$22.78 £17.09

-77.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.38 £7.79

91.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.75 £2.06

5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.53 £2.65

2.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$97.5 £73.1

-25.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.52 £2.64

-39.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.68 £1.26

-6.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$26.25 £19.69

-67.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.06 £1.54

-26.21%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$38.9K £29.2K

-44.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.7K £29.8K

-13.10%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$314 £236

-69.34%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$13.39 £10.04

168.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$36.97 £27.74

44.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$39.66 £29.75

80.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.81 £5.86

1.02%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,255 £1,692

-78.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$24.7K £18.5K

-51.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$102 £76.5

-47.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.36 £36.28

14.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$105 £78.6

-25.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$96.9 £72.7

-17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$784 £588

0.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$779 £585

1.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,144 £859

244.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$989 £742

43.50%

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

$1,581 £1,186

-45.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.87

77.00%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$779 37.7% 1.9% $15

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Merthyr Tydfil

$266 12.9% 24.4% $86

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$334 16.1% 57.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Merthyr Tydfil

$364 17.6% 96.2% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$158 7.7% 31.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7% 36.7% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3% 25.6% $22

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 $784 in Merthyr Tydfil. 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 83% higher in Merthyr Tydfil, 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 $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $266 in Merthyr Tydfil – so Merthyr Tydfil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

43,820

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Merthyr Tydfil 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Merthyr Tydfil

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 Merthyr Tydfil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,100 in Merthyr Tydfil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 34% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $2,255 in Merthyr Tydfil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Merthyr Tydfil at $2,067. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merthyr Tydfil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,067 in Merthyr Tydfil. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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