Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $471 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
Learn more

Ratnapura Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ratnapura

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $471 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Ratnapura $471

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $766 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Ratnapura $766

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,062 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Ratnapura $1,062

Nosara costs about 290% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Ratnapura is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$1.99 LKR 659

514.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$9.15 LKR 3,028

557.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.89 LKR 1,949

28.01%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.17 LKR 718

98.62%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.74 LKR 245

132.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.47 LKR 155

187.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.93 LKR 639

67.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.74 LKR 908

63.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.77 LKR 586

-11.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.75 LKR 247

322.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.63 LKR 208

284.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.11 LKR 368

221.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$15.11 LKR 5,000

-50.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.30 LKR 2,086

65.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$15.80 LKR 5,228

-13.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.18 LKR 1,382

-44.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.72 LKR 237

123.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.22 LKR 1,397

12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.99 LKR 329

67.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.05 LKR 348

254.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.36 LKR 451

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.47 LKR 154

134.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.44 LKR 145

479.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$12.91 LKR 4,270

-61.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$12.87 LKR 4,259

55.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.09 LKR 691

33.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.81 LKR 931

25.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.37 LKR 124

221.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$0.38 LKR 125

489.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.44 LKR 145

252.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.97 LKR 322

61.86%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$19.5K LKR 6.4M

11.86%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

76.60%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$2.08 LKR 688

1587.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$7.36 LKR 2,434

599.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$9.19 LKR 3,041

676.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$2.46 LKR 815

218.70%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$10.68 LKR 3,535

401.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$7.54 LKR 2,495

639.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$85.6 LKR 28.3K

-7.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$25.29 LKR 8,365

211.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$76.6 LKR 25.4K

925.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$54.9 LKR 18.1K

1321.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$83.2 LKR 27.5K

1591.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$167 LKR 55.3K

423.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5% 93% $725

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Ratnapura

$258 54% 26.1% $91

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Ratnapura

$80 16.7% 62% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Ratnapura

$9.4 * 2% 94.8% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 51.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ratnapura

$14 3% 83.8% $73

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ratnapura

$4.1 * 0.9% 95.3% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $76.6 in Ratnapura. 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 424% higher in Nosara, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $9.00 in Ratnapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $258 – making Ratnapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

17:17 5:17 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

52,100

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ratnapura 17,600 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $471 in Ratnapura – roughly 290% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $706 in Ratnapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $9.00 in Ratnapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $471 in Ratnapura. That's a gap of about 290%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $471, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Ratnapura 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 $471 in Ratnapura to $1,837 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 Ratnapura. 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.