Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rugby

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,325 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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 Rugby
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Rugby Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Rugby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rugby

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,325 in Rugby, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Rugby $2,325

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,479 in Rugby, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Rugby $3,479

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,633 in Rugby, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Rugby $4,633

Nosara is about 21% cheaper than Rugby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Rugby sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Rugby by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.21 £15.16

-38.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$77.8 £58.4

-21.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.15 £6.87

-17.81%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.91 £3.68

-10.18%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.14 £1.61

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.47 £1.10

-10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.07 £4.56

-45.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$6.25 £4.69

-28.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.70 £1.28

-8.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.75 £1.31

72.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.54 £1.91

-1.18%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.95 £2.97

-9.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.00 £6.75

-17.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.95 £5.97

32.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.82 £11.12

-5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.50 £1.87

-6.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.75 £1.31

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.40 £1.80

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.07 £2.31

-47.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.59 £1.19

138.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.72 £1.29

114.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.29 £0.97

-12.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.56 £1.17

70.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$22.02 £16.52

-76.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.03 £9.03

65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.53 £2.65

-17.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.30 £2.47

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.56 £1.92

-56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$95.9 £71.9

-24.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.66 £3.50

-54.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.67 £1.25

-5.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$23.98 £17.99

-64.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.09 £1.57

-27.27%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.7K £28.3K

-42.68%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$40.6K £30.4K

-14.91%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$267 £200

-63.87%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$20.15 £15.12

78.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$47.12 £35.35

13.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$56.8 £42.61

26.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$14.75 £11.06

-46.51%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,566 £1,175

-68.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$22.5K £16.9K

-47.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$105 £79.0

-48.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.79 £23.10

79.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$84.6 £63.5

-7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$110 £82.6

-27.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,135 £851

-30.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,031 £774

-22.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,773 £1,330

122.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,839 £1,380

-22.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,108 £3,832

35.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$3,853 £2,891

-68.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$4,630 £3,474

-81.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.09

69.35%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rugby: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Rugby

$1K 44.4% 29.8% $237

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Rugby

$300 12.9% 14.8% $52

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Rugby

$305 13.1% 44.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Rugby

$334 14.4% 79.7% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Rugby

$149 6.4% 23.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Rugby

$86 3.7% 1.2% $1.1

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Rugby

$119 5.1% 36.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,135 in Rugby. 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 436% higher in Rugby, 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 $78.0 in Rugby. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $300 in Rugby – so Rugby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Rugby

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

04:24 4:24 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

70,628

💱 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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Between locations

Nosara Rugby 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rugby

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 Rugby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,325 in Rugby – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,487 in Rugby. 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 32% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,566 in Rugby. 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 Rugby at $2,325. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rugby 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 $2,325 in Rugby. 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, Rugby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.