Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $929 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $929 per month in Portsmouth vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Portsmouth $929
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,626 per month in Portsmouth vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Portsmouth $1,626
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,323 per month in Portsmouth vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Portsmouth $2,323
Nosara $3,712

Portsmouth is about 49% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portsmouth sits 31% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 EC$14.84

$12.22 ₡5,509

-54.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-6.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 EC$18.44

$7.54 ₡3,399

-9.42%

Cappuccino

$2.67 EC$7.20

$4.31 ₡1,941

-38.05%

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

$2.19 EC$5.91

$1.72 ₡773

27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$1.35 ₡608

38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 EC$6.84

$3.24 ₡1,459

-21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 EC$10.07

$4.48 ₡2,018

-16.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$1.57 ₡707

82.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 EC$6.03

$3.17 ₡1,429

-29.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 EC$5.43

$2.42 ₡1,091

-16.94%

Eggs

$6.50 EC$17.55

$3.57 ₡1,609

82.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.66 EC$7.17

$7.43 ₡3,349

-64.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 EC$14.80

$10.42 ₡4,697

-47.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

Apples (1kg)

$7.21 EC$19.46

$2.32 ₡1,044

210.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 EC$6.93

$1.61 ₡728

59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 EC$10.81

$4.74 ₡2,138

-15.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 EC$11.17

$1.66 ₡747

149.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$3.72 ₡1,679

-22.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 EC$7.51

$3.57 ₡1,611

-22.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 EC$4.91

$1.10 ₡497

65.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$2.55 ₡1,149

-25.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 EC$30.56

$20.01 ₡9,020

-43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.06

$2.79 ₡1,256

-32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 EC$7.20

$3.53 ₡1,589

-24.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 EC$2.03

$1.19 ₡537

-36.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 EC$9.90

$2.24 ₡1,011

63.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 EC$9.93

$1.55 ₡701

137.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

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

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

$40.78 EC$110

$35.11 ₡15.8K

16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 EC$172

$51.5 ₡23.2K

24.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.97 EC$99.8

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-48.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 EC$30.01

$7.84 ₡3,535

41.71%

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)

$55.9 EC$151

$53.5 ₡24.1K

4.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.90 EC$64.5

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-57.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 EC$151

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-29.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 EC$178

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-16.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 EC$696

$786 ₡354.3K

-67.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 EC$602

$780 ₡351.6K

-71.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 EC$1,808

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-82.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 EC$1,667

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-56.13%

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)

$626 EC$1,691

$876 ₡395.0K

-28.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$780 43%

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Eating Out

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Portsmouth

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $258 in Portsmouth versus $786 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 40% 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 $56.0 in Portsmouth versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $350 – making Portsmouth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

2 h behind Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,633

4,912

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portsmouth Nosara 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $929 in Portsmouth, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,394 per month in Portsmouth and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portsmouth, 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 $56.0 in Portsmouth and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $929 in Portsmouth and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 98%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Portsmouth, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Portsmouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $929 in Portsmouth to $1,837 in Nosara. 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 Portsmouth. 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.