Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $506 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 Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nuwara Eliya

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $506 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Nuwara Eliya $506

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $822 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Nuwara Eliya $822

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,138 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Nuwara Eliya $1,138

Nosara costs about 263% more than Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.52 LKR 1,496

173.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$24.01 LKR 7,954

154.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.70 LKR 2,550

-2.34%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.38 LKR 788

85.29%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.40 LKR 131

335.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 LKR 90.2

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.23 LKR 740

47.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.07 LKR 1,016

45.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.63 LKR 541

-4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.53 LKR 174

469.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.78 LKR 258

221.79%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.63 LKR 541

119.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.96 LKR 4,623

-46.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.78 LKR 1,584

120.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.39 LKR 2,447

89.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.63 LKR 2,196

-64.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.78 LKR 259

106.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.61 LKR 1,526

4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.28 LKR 424

25.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.03 LKR 343

268.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.75 LKR 250

392.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 LKR 288

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.44 LKR 145

504.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.19 LKR 3,376

-49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.47 LKR 4,463

47.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.91 LKR 631

51.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.94 LKR 972

23.47%

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

$0.40 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

$0.94 LKR 311

806.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.40 LKR 463

8.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.0K LKR 12.3M

-41.62%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

-14.50%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$54.2 LKR 17.9K

77.82%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$4.30 LKR 1,425

734.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.94 LKR 6,937

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

$4.48 LKR 1,484

76.12%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$37.51 LKR 12.4K

1217.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,222 LKR 404.7K

870.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$17.93 LKR 5,938

200.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.37 LKR 5,421

238.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$79.7 LKR 26.4K

-2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$42.76 LKR 14.2K

86.18%

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 Nuwara Eliya: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$238 46.9% 32.6% $115

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$108 21.3% 49.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Nuwara Eliya

$79 15.7% 57.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$71 13.9% 41.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 89.7% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Nuwara Eliya

$2.3 * 0.5% 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 Nuwara Eliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $238 – making Nuwara Eliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

27,500

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Nuwara Eliya 17,600 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $506 in Nuwara Eliya – roughly 263% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $760 in Nuwara Eliya. 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 Nuwara Eliya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nuwara Eliya, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nuwara Eliya 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 $506 in Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya. 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.