Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Swansea

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,186 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Swansea

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,186 in Swansea, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Swansea $2,186

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $3,158 in Swansea, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Swansea $3,158

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $4,131 in Swansea, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Swansea $4,131

Nosara is about 16% cheaper than Swansea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Swansea sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Swansea by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$19.61 £14.82

-37.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$61.6 £46.56

-2.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.41 £7.87

-27.57%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.83 £3.65

-10.77%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.32 £1.76

-25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.22 £0.92

10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.91 £4.47

-45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$6.33 £4.78

-29.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.28 £0.97

22.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.93 £1.46

64.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.01 £1.52

20.40%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.52 £2.66

1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.46 £5.64

-0.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.53 £6.45

22.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.52 £9.46

9.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.39 £1.80

-2.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.27 £0.96

26.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.78 £2.10

70.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.63 £2.74

-54.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.32 £1.75

60.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.92 £2.21

22.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.31 £0.99

-16.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.32 £1.75

9.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$23.24 £17.56

-78.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.43 £7.88

91.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.20 £1.66

26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.24 £2.45

8.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$3.99 £3.02

-70.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$96.0 £72.6

-24.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.86 £2.91

-41.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.65 £2.01

-41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$32.61 £24.64

-72.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.97 £1.49

-20.30%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$39.0K £29.4K

-44.03%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$41.2K £31.1K

-15.85%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$304 £230

-69.27%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.67 £11.08

139.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$43.04 £32.52

19.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$34.43 £26.02

107.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$14.90 £11.26

137.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$10.16 £7.68

-22.83%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$1,463 £1,105

-66.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$90.6 £68.4

-40.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$48.37 £36.55

15.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$118 £89.0

-32.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$84.4 £63.8

-6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,088 £822

-27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$844 £638

-7.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,387 £1,048

178.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,408 £1,064

-0.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,880 £2,932

79.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,949 £2,228

-59.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,165 £2,392

-72.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.04

42.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Swansea: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Swansea

$844 39.5% 8.2% $64

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Swansea

$290 13.6% 17.1% $60

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Swansea

$303 14.2% 44.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Swansea

$362 16.9% 101% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Swansea

$153 7.2% 27.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Swansea

$55 2.6% 37.1% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Swansea

$129 6.1% 48.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,088 in Swansea. 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 261% higher in Swansea, 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 $62.0 in Swansea. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $290 in Swansea – so Swansea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇧 Swansea

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

13:12 1:12 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

239,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Swansea 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Swansea

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 Swansea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $2,186 in Swansea – roughly 19% 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 $3,279 in Swansea. 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 33% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $1,463 in Swansea. 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 $1,837, than in Swansea at $2,186. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swansea 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 $2,186 in Swansea. 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, Swansea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.