Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piliyandala and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Piliyandala: $573 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Piliyandala
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$573
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Piliyandala and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Piliyandala and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $573 per month in Piliyandala vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Piliyandala $573
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $902 per month in Piliyandala vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Piliyandala $902
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,232 per month in Piliyandala vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Piliyandala $1,232
  • Nosara $3,818

Piliyandala is about 69% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Piliyandala sits 58% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.07 LKR 1,017
$12.35 ₡5,539
-75.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.01 LKR 3,977
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-80.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 LKR 2,497
$7.52 ₡3,373
0.27%
Cappuccino
$2.48 LKR 822
$4.41 ₡1,978
-43.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 LKR 238
$1.74 ₡780
-58.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 LKR 89.9
$1.31 ₡587
-79.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 LKR 589
$3.28 ₡1,471
-45.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 LKR 1,028
$4.47 ₡2,004
-30.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 LKR 536
$1.56 ₡701
3.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.57 LKR 187
$3.02 ₡1,355
-81.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.75 LKR 248
$2.51 ₡1,125
-70.12%
Eggs
$1.63 LKR 540
$3.57 ₡1,603
-54.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.83 LKR 4,582
$7.43 ₡3,333
86.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 LKR 1,638
$10.52 ₡4,717
-52.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.24 LKR 2,399
$13.97 ₡6,265
-48.17%
Apples (1kg)
$6.47 LKR 2,142
$2.35 ₡1,052
175.32%
Banana (1kg)
$0.80 LKR 264
$1.61 ₡720
-50.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.28 LKR 1,419
$4.80 ₡2,152
-10.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.34 LKR 443
$1.61 ₡724
-16.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 LKR 329
$3.80 ₡1,703
-73.95%
Onion (1kg)
$0.84 LKR 277
$3.69 ₡1,657
-77.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 LKR 289
$1.13 ₡507
-23.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.45 LKR 149
$2.66 ₡1,191
-83.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.41 LKR 3,448
$5.18 ₡2,321
100.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.07 LKR 4,329
$19.88 ₡8,916
-34.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 LKR 646
$2.90 ₡1,300
-32.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 LKR 976
$3.63 ₡1,626
-18.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 LKR 125
$1.12 ₡504
-66.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 LKR 133
$2.14 ₡958
-81.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 LKR 104
$1.57 ₡703
-80.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 LKR 289
$8.52 ₡3,823
-89.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 LKR 445
$1.52 ₡682
-11.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.4K LKR 12.0M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
68.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K LKR 13.2M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
15.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.6 LKR 19.7K
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-38.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.36 LKR 1,444
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-87.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.37 LKR 6,748
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-61.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.64 LKR 1,538
$7.89 ₡3,539
-41.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.70 LKR 12.5K
$494 ₡221.6K
-92.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,214 LKR 402.2K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-89.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.00 LKR 5,961
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-66.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.53 LKR 5,477
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-70.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.6 LKR 25.7K
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-0.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.97 LKR 13.9K
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-47.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$105 LKR 34.8K
$788 ₡353.4K
-86.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$74.5 LKR 24.7K
$794 ₡356.2K
-90.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$254 LKR 84.3K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-93.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$178 LKR 59.0K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-87.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Piliyandala
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$304 LKR 100.8K
$864 ₡387.3K
-64.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
8.62
47.22%

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

Last update for Piliyandala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Piliyandala
$236
Nosara
$352 49.5% $117
Eating Out
Piliyandala
$96
Nosara
$212 121% $116
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Piliyandala
$84
Nosara
$186 120% $101
Accommodation & Living
Piliyandala
$75
Nosara
$794 966% $720
Clothing & Footwear
Piliyandala
$69
Nosara
$120 73.2% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Piliyandala
$9.3 *
Nosara
$87 841% $78
Getting Around
Piliyandala
$3.5 *
Nosara
$87 2410% $84

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $105 in Piliyandala versus $788 in Nosara. 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 184% higher in Nosara, 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 $12.00 in Piliyandala versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $352 – making Piliyandala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Piliyandala
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
05:44 5:44 AM
18:14 6:14 PM
11 h 30 min behind Piliyandala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Piliyandala Nosara 17,560 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Piliyandala
  • Nosara

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
Piliyandala vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Piliyandala and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $573 in Piliyandala, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 221% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Piliyandala compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $859 per month in Piliyandala and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Piliyandala and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Piliyandala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Piliyandala and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 50% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Piliyandala, where all-in costs run around $573, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Piliyandala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Piliyandala and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $573 in Piliyandala to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Piliyandala or Nosara 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 Piliyandala and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Piliyandala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Piliyandala vs other spots: cost of living compared

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