Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $1,835 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ragama

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $503 in Ragama, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Ragama $503

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $814 in Ragama, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Ragama $814

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,125 in Ragama, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Ragama $1,125

Nosara costs about 265% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Ragama is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$3.73 LKR 1,237

230.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$24.62 LKR 8,154

149.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.63 LKR 2,528

1.70%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.50 LKR 828

77.60%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.72 LKR 239

148.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.25 LKR 82.7

416.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.15 LKR 711

50.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.99 LKR 990

48.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.42 LKR 470

9.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$0.47 LKR 155

555.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.68 LKR 226

272.06%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.73 LKR 573

99.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$13.87 LKR 4,593

-47.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.74 LKR 1,571

116.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$7.33 LKR 2,428

92.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$6.69 LKR 2,217

-65.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$0.81 LKR 268

102.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.27 LKR 1,414

12.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.28 LKR 423

28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.03 LKR 341

273.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$0.77 LKR 254

387.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.89 LKR 296

22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.45 LKR 149

475.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$10.11 LKR 3,350

-49.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$13.09 LKR 4,336

52.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.97 LKR 653

42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.94 LKR 974

19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.37 LKR 123

486.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.35 LKR 115

345.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$0.93 LKR 308

832.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.38 LKR 459

12.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

-22.48%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-3.27%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

59.31%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$4.28 LKR 1,416

744.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$21.08 LKR 6,982

151.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$4.45 LKR 1,474

77.75%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

1204.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

900.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$18.21 LKR 6,030

200.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$16.89 LKR 5,595

230.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

85.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Ragama

$233 46.4% 33.3% $117

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Ragama

$103 20.6% 51.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Ragama

$85 16.9% 53.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Ragama

$71 14% 41.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 90.1% $81

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.6% $87

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 $25.00 in Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $233 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

02:13 2:13 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 20, 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 20, 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 Ragama 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $503 in Ragama – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $754 in Ragama. 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 $25.00 in Ragama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 Ragama, where all-in costs run around $503, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Ragama 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 $503 in Ragama to $1,835 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 Ragama. 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.