Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ragama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $503 per month in Ragama vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Ragama $503
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $814 per month in Ragama vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Ragama $814
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,125 per month in Ragama vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Ragama $1,125
Nosara $3,814

Ragama is about 73% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ragama sits 63% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 LKR 1,237

$12.34 ₡5,535

-69.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 LKR 8,154

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-59.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 LKR 2,528

$7.76 ₡3,481

-1.68%

Cappuccino

$2.50 LKR 828

$4.44 ₡1,992

-43.69%

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

$0.72 LKR 239

$1.79 ₡803

-59.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.7

$1.29 ₡580

-80.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 711

$3.24 ₡1,451

-33.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 990

$4.43 ₡1,985

-32.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 LKR 470

$1.55 ₡696

-8.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 LKR 155

$3.08 ₡1,380

-84.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 226

$2.53 ₡1,133

-73.12%

Eggs

$1.73 LKR 573

$3.45 ₡1,546

-49.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 LKR 4,593

$7.32 ₡3,284

89.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 LKR 1,571

$10.24 ₡4,594

-53.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 LKR 2,428

$14.10 ₡6,326

-48.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 LKR 2,217

$2.29 ₡1,027

192.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.64 ₡737

-50.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,414

$4.79 ₡2,149

-10.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 423

$1.64 ₡735

-21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$3.85 ₡1,727

-73.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 254

$3.75 ₡1,681

-79.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 296

$1.09 ₡488

-18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 149

$2.59 ₡1,160

-82.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 LKR 3,350

$5.12 ₡2,295

97.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.09 LKR 4,336

$19.92 ₡8,931

-34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 653

$2.80 ₡1,255

-29.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 974

$3.52 ₡1,580

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$2.17 ₡973

-82.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.56 ₡698

-77.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$8.67 ₡3,886

-89.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 459

$1.55 ₡697

-10.97%

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

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

29.00%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

3.39%

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

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-37.23%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,416

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-88.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.08 LKR 6,982

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-60.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 LKR 1,474

$7.91 ₡3,548

-43.74%

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

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

$490 ₡219.9K

-92.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-90.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.21 LKR 6,030

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-66.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.89 LKR 5,595

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-69.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Ragama: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ragama

$233 46.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 50% $117

Eating Out

Ragama

$103 20.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 106% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ragama

$85 16.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 117% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Ragama

$71 14%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 71.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 907% $81

Getting Around

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 4126% $87

Accommodation & Living

Ragama

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Ragama versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $350 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ragama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

15:24 3:24 PM

11 h 30 min behind Ragama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ragama Nosara 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ragama
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

Ragama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $503 in Ragama, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $754 per month in Ragama and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Ragama and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $503, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Ragama 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 $503 in Ragama to $1,835 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 Ragama. 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.