Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Motherwell

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,285 in Motherwell, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Motherwell
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Motherwell Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Motherwell

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Motherwell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,285 in Motherwell.

Nosara $1,839
Motherwell $2,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,349 in Motherwell.

Nosara $2,828
Motherwell $3,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,414 in Motherwell.

Nosara $3,818
Motherwell $4,414

Living in Nosara costs roughly 20% less than in Motherwell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Motherwell 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.07 £15.06

-38.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$74.0 £55.5

-17.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.64 £7.98

-29.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.69 £3.52

-5.97%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.15 £1.61

-19.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.76 £1.32

-25.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.41 £4.06

-39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.67 £5.00

-32.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.47 £1.10

6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.63 £1.22

85.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.19 £1.64

14.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.80 £2.85

-6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.14 £6.86

-18.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.13 £6.85

15.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$16.65 £12.49

-16.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.81 £2.11

-16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.52 £1.14

5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.88 £2.16

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.16 £2.37

-49.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.97 £1.48

92.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.42 £1.07

159.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.19 £0.90

-5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.56 £1.17

70.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$20.95 £15.71

-75.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$10.45 £7.84

90.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.13 £2.35

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.41 £2.56

6.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.49 £2.62

-67.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$97.5 £73.1

-25.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.98 £4.49

-64.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.14 £0.86

37.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$28.19 £21.15

-69.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.09 £1.57

-27.27%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$38.5K £28.9K

-43.85%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.9K £30.0K

-13.55%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$241 £181

-60.03%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.77 £14.83

81.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$41.45 £31.10

29.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.34 £34.77

54.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$6.65 £4.99

424.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$12.06 £9.05

-34.58%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$910 £683

-45.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$17.6K £13.2K

-32.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$117 £87.7

-53.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.37 £36.29

14.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$104 £77.7

-24.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$90.2 £67.6

-11.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,218 £914

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,019 £765

-22.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,124 £1,593

85.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,643 £1,233

-13.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,030 £3,774

37.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,920 £2,941

-68.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Motherwell: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Motherwell

$1K 44.6% 28.3% $225

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Motherwell

$304 13.3% 13.7% $48

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Motherwell

$305 13.3% 43.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Motherwell

$302 13.2% 62.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Motherwell

$162 7.1% 34.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Motherwell

$70 3.1% 19.4% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Motherwell

$123 5.4% 41.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,218 in Motherwell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $74.0 in Motherwell. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $304, with Motherwell cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Motherwell

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

18:37 6:37 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

32,120

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Motherwell 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Motherwell

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 Motherwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $3,428 in Motherwell 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: $788 in Nosara versus $1,218 in Motherwell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Motherwell pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $74.0 in Motherwell. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,285 in Motherwell, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Motherwell. 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 Motherwell, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Motherwell 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 24% less than in Motherwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.