Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Preston

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,152 in Preston, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Preston outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Preston

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,152 in Preston, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Preston $2,152

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,144 in Preston, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Preston $3,144

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,136 in Preston, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Preston $4,136

Nosara is about 15% cheaper than Preston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Preston sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Preston by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.47 £12.35

-25.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$70.4 £52.8

-13.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.66 £6.50

-13.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.36 £3.27

1.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.19 £1.65

-20.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.34 £1.00

-2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.15 £3.87

-36.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.25 £3.94

-14.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.45 £1.09

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.42 £1.06

112.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.67 £1.25

50.30%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.51 £2.63

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.26 £3.95

41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.12 £6.84

15.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$12.87 £9.65

8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.55 £1.91

-7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.68 £1.26

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.53 £1.90

89.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.83 £2.87

-57.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.03 £1.52

87.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.24 £1.68

64.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.17 £0.88

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.63 £1.22

63.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$21.41 £16.06

-75.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.24 £6.93

115.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.07 £2.30

-5.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.26 £2.45

11.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$3.93 £2.95

-71.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$98.8 £74.1

-26.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.61 £1.96

-18.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.07 £1.55

-24.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.87 £1.40

-18.72%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.2K £27.9K

-41.94%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.9K £29.9K

-13.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$434 £326

-77.83%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.44 £11.59

132.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$45.14 £33.87

18.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.24 £30.19

77.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.67 £12.50

109.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$17.50 £13.13

-54.91%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,554 £1,166

-68.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,467 £6,352

40.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$74.3 £55.7

-27.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$25.96 £19.47

113.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$64.9 £48.72

20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$66.8 £50.1

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$978 £733

-19.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$813 £610

-2.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,894 £1,421

107.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,449 £1,087

-2.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,332 £2,499

107.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,374 £1,781

-48.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,009 £2,258

-71.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.93

74.85%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Preston: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Preston

$813 37.8% 2.3% $19

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Preston

$277 12.9% 21.5% $76

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Preston

$260 12.1% 23% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Preston

$495 23% 166% $309

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Preston

$104 4.9% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Preston

$75 3.5% 13.9% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Preston

$127 5.9% 46.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $978 in Preston. 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 248% higher in Preston, 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 $70.0 in Preston. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $277 in Preston – so Preston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Preston

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

114,300

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Preston 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Preston

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 Preston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,152 in Preston – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,228 in Preston. 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 36% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,554 in Preston. 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 Preston at $2,152. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Preston 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 $2,152 in Preston. 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, Preston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.