Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Stevenage

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,570 in Stevenage, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Stevenage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,570
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Stevenage

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,570 in Stevenage, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Stevenage $2,570

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,826 in Stevenage, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Stevenage $3,826

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $5,081 in Stevenage, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Stevenage $5,081

Nosara is about 28% cheaper than Stevenage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Stevenage sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Stevenage by 90%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$26.49 £19.88
-53.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$80.2 £60.2
-23.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$10.65 £7.99
-29.39%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$5.06 £3.80
-12.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.89 £1.42
-7.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.63 £1.22
-19.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$5.77 £4.33
-43.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$5.33 £4.00
-16.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.69 £1.27
-7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.50 £1.12
101.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.92 £1.44
30.73%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$3.97 £2.98
-10.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$8.48 £6.36
-12.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$8.10 £6.07
29.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$13.84 £10.39
0.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$3.38 £2.54
-30.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.48 £1.11
8.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$3.13 £2.35
53.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$2.77 £2.07
-41.88%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.16 £0.87
227.59%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.73 £1.29
113.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.25 £0.94
-9.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.94 £0.71
182.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$23.82 £17.87
-78.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$9.81 £7.36
102.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$2.81 £2.11
3.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.91 £2.18
24.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$3.50 £2.62
-68.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$103 £77.5
-29.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.77 £2.83
-43.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.84 £1.38
-14.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$20.20 £15.15
-57.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.91 £1.43
-20.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$37.5K £28.2K
-42.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$39.9K £30.0K
-13.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$230 £173
-58.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$21.97 £16.48
63.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$43.62 £32.72
22.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$47.85 £35.90
49.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$13.34 £10.01
-40.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$1,042 £782
-52.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$78.0 £58.5
-30.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$37.94 £28.46
46.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$64.9 £48.68
20.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$87.1 £65.4
-8.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$1,631 £1,224
-51.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$1,313 £985
-39.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$3,020 £2,266
30.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$2,294 £1,721
-38.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Stevenage
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$3,291 £2,469
-73.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
5.51
56.44%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Stevenage: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Stevenage
$1.3K 65.3% $518
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Stevenage
$278 21.1% $75
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Stevenage
$358 69.1% $146
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Stevenage
$296 59.4% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Stevenage
$121 0.4% $0.5
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Stevenage
$75 14.7% $13
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Stevenage
$130 49.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,631 in Stevenage. 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 281% higher in Stevenage, 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 $80.0 in Stevenage. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $278 in Stevenage – so Stevenage wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇬🇧 Stevenage
🕒 Local time
02:29 2:29 AM
09:29 9:29 AM
7 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
89,663
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Stevenage 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Stevenage

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 Stevenage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Stevenage compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,570 in Stevenage – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Stevenage?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,855 in Stevenage. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and Stevenage?
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.
How do commuting costs compare in Nosara and in Stevenage?
Public transport costs about 42% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nosara and Stevenage?
Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $1,042 in Stevenage. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Stevenage at $2,570. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stevenage it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Stevenage?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,570 in Stevenage. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Stevenage safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Stevenage?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stevenage makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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