Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Retford

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,255 in Retford, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Retford

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $2,255 in Retford, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Retford $2,255

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $3,343 in Retford, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Retford $3,343

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $4,432 in Retford, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Retford $4,432

Nosara is about 19% cheaper than Retford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Retford sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Retford by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$14.72 £11.04

-16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$66.5 £49.87

-7.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.14 £5.36

8.68%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.88 £2.91

14.43%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.75 £1.31

2.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.78 £1.33

-27.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$4.30 £3.22

-24.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.34 £3.26

2.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.72 £1.29

-9.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.83 £1.38

68.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.64 £1.23

54.27%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.66 £3.50

-25.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.18 £8.39

-34.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$10.16 £7.62

0.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.50 £9.38

12.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.09 £1.56

9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.80 £1.35

-8.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.76 £1.32

172.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.74 £1.31

-5.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.48 £1.11

160.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.58 £1.19

137.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.42 £0.31

159.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.56 £1.17

66.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$23.33 £17.50

-78.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.77 £5.83

156.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.70 £1.27

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.04 £1.53

72.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$3.65 £2.74

-66.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$108 £80.7

-31.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.93 £3.70

-55.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$3.91 £2.93

-60.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$28.85 £21.64

-69.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.09 £1.57

-25.84%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.1K £30.1K

-13.93%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$44.2K £33.2K

-12.34%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$342 £257

-72.27%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$27.87 £20.91

29.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$46.53 £34.91

14.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$52.7 £39.53

40.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.50 £8.62

-31.22%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$1,926 £1,445

-74.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$23.9K £17.9K

-50.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$85.1 £63.9

-35.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$60.8 £45.59

-8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$109 £81.4

-25.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$161 £121

-51.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,398 £1,049

-42.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$924 £693

-14.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,099 £1,575

90.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,675 £1,257

-15.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$5,059 £3,796

39.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$3,851 £2,889

-67.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,711 £1,283

-48.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.3

62.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Retford

$924 41% 17% $134

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Retford

$276 12.2% 21.2% $74

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Retford

$230 10.2% 8.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Retford

$416 18.5% 126% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Retford

$187 8.3% 54.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Retford

$76 3.4% 15.5% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Retford

$147 6.5% 65.3% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $1,398 in Retford. 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 93% higher in Retford, 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 $66.0 in Retford. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $276 in Retford – so Retford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Retford

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

15:16 3:16 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

22,023

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Retford 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Retford

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 Retford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $2,255 in Retford – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $3,383 in Retford. 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 46% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $1,926 in Retford. 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 $1,835, than in Retford at $2,255. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Retford 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,255 in Retford. 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, Retford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.