Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Stanley

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,941 in Stanley, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Stanley
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Stanley Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Stanley

🇫🇰 Falkland Islands

$2,941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Stanley

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,941 in Stanley, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Stanley $2,941

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $4,457 in Stanley, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Stanley $4,457

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $5,973 in Stanley, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Stanley $5,973

Nosara is about 38% cheaper than Stanley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Nosara and Stanley sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Stanley by 119%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$26.38 FKP 19.92

-53.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$80.6 FKP 60.9

-25.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.12 FKP 3.11

4.61%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.20 FKP 1.66

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.35 FKP 1.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$4.23 FKP 3.19

-23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.58 FKP 1.95

73.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.29 FKP 1.73

-31.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.95 FKP 2.23

7.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.90 FKP 0.68

168.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$6.99 FKP 5.28

-48.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$2.84 FKP 2.15

161.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.47 FKP 7.15

10.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.99 FKP 9.06

13.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$9.40 FKP 7.09

-75.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$5.40 FKP 4.08

-70.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$10.50 FKP 7.93

-54.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$7.90 FKP 5.96

-78.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.22 FKP 2.43

15.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.76 FKP 0.58

369.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$4.26 FKP 3.22

-74.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$16.30 FKP 12.31

-69.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$12.01 FKP 9.07

66.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.45 FKP 1.85

44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$6.54 FKP 4.94

-65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.65 FKP 1.24

-4.85%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$380 FKP 287

-75.39%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$76.3 FKP 57.6

-53.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$449 FKP 339

-88.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$21.93 FKP 16.56

225.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$11.93 FKP 9.01

-34.28%

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

$113 FKP 85.2

-52.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$94.3 FKP 71.2

-40.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$162 FKP 122

-50.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$106 FKP 80.3

-25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,445 FKP 1,091

-45.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,073 FKP 810

-27.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,684 FKP 2,027

43.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$2,426 FKP 1,832

-42.00%

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

$3,889 FKP 2,936

-77.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.75

11.23%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Stanley: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Stanley

$1.1K 36.5% 37.6% $293

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Stanley

$394 * 13.4% 12.7% $44

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Stanley

$301 * 10.2% 43.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Stanley

$905 30.8% 403% $725

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Stanley

$214 7.3% 77.6% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Stanley

$46 1.6% 47.4% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Stanley

$6.5 * 0.2% 92.5% $80

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 $1,445 in Stanley. 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 344% higher in Stanley, 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 $81.0 in Stanley. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $394 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇫🇰 Stanley

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Falkland Islands Pound FKP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 FKP = 1.32 USD

1 FKP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FKP, 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).

Falkland Islands Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.755 FKP (1 FKP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.846 FKP (1 FKP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Stanley 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Stanley

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 Stanley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $2,941 in Stanley – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $4,411 in Stanley. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $81.0 in Stanley. 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 $2,941 in Stanley. That's a gap of about 60%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Stanley at $2,941. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stanley 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,941 in Stanley. 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, Stanley makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.