Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Mirissa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mirissa: $508 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Mirissa
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Mirissa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Mirissa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Mirissa

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $508 in Mirissa, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Mirissa $508

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $826 in Mirissa, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Mirissa $826

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,144 in Mirissa, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Mirissa $1,144

Nosara costs about 262% more than Mirissa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Mirissa is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.51 LKR 1,493

173.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.46 LKR 8,103

150.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.53 LKR 2,493

-0.13%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.45 LKR 813

80.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.68 LKR 225

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.25 LKR 82.5

424.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.16 LKR 716

51.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.06 LKR 1,012

46.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.63 LKR 540

-4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.56 LKR 186

439.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.80 LKR 265

213.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.57 LKR 522

127.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.92 LKR 4,612

-46.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.98 LKR 1,649

111.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.47 LKR 2,475

87.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.87 LKR 2,275

-65.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.78 LKR 260

106.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.60 LKR 1,523

4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.22 LKR 403

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.99 LKR 328

283.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.81 LKR 269

355.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.89 LKR 296

26.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.43 LKR 142

518.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.15 LKR 3,361

-48.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.52 LKR 4,477

47.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.97 LKR 652

47.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.03 LKR 1,003

19.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.38 LKR 125

463.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.38 LKR 125

313.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.95 LKR 314

796.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 LKR 443

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.4K LKR 12.1M

-40.69%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

-15.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$53.2 LKR 17.6K

81.06%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.16 LKR 1,377

762.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.94 LKR 6,935

155.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.28 LKR 1,417

84.35%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

1198.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,225 LKR 405.8K

867.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$18.10 LKR 5,995

198.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.60 LKR 5,499

233.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$78.2 LKR 25.9K

-0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

88.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

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

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 Mirissa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Mirissa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Mirissa

$240 47.3% 31.8% $112

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Mirissa

$109 21.4% 48.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Mirissa

$78 15.4% 57.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Mirissa

$70 13.8% 41.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Mirissa

$8.6 * 1.7% 90.2% $79

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Mirissa

$2.3 * 0.4% 97.4% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $24.00 in Mirissa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $240 – making Mirissa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Mirissa

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Mirissa 17,670 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Mirissa

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 Mirissa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $508 in Mirissa – roughly 262% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $762 in Mirissa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $24.00 in Mirissa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mirissa, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Mirissa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $508 in Mirissa to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Mirissa. 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.