Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $471 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$471

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $471 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Ratnapura $471
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $766 per month in Ratnapura vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Ratnapura $766
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,062 per month in Ratnapura vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Ratnapura $1,062
Nosara $3,712

Ratnapura is about 74% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ratnapura sits 65% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 LKR 659

$12.22 ₡5,509

-83.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.15 LKR 3,028

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-84.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.89 LKR 1,949

$7.54 ₡3,399

-21.88%

Cappuccino

$2.17 LKR 718

$4.31 ₡1,941

-49.65%

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

$0.74 LKR 245

$1.72 ₡773

-56.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$1.35 ₡608

-65.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 639

$3.24 ₡1,459

-40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 LKR 908

$4.48 ₡2,018

-38.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 LKR 586

$1.57 ₡707

12.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 LKR 247

$3.17 ₡1,429

-76.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 LKR 208

$2.42 ₡1,091

-73.97%

Eggs

$1.11 LKR 368

$3.57 ₡1,609

-68.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.11 LKR 5,000

$7.43 ₡3,349

103.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 LKR 2,086

$10.42 ₡4,697

-39.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 LKR 5,228

$13.66 ₡6,156

15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 LKR 1,382

$2.32 ₡1,044

80.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 LKR 237

$1.61 ₡728

-55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 LKR 1,397

$4.74 ₡2,138

-10.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$1.66 ₡747

-40.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 348

$3.72 ₡1,679

-71.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 LKR 451

$3.57 ₡1,611

-61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 LKR 154

$1.10 ₡497

-57.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 145

$2.55 ₡1,149

-82.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.91 LKR 4,270

$4.95 ₡2,232

160.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,259

$20.01 ₡9,020

-35.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 691

$2.79 ₡1,256

-25.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 LKR 931

$3.53 ₡1,589

-20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.19 ₡537

-68.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.24 ₡1,011

-83.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 145

$1.55 ₡701

-71.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 LKR 322

$1.57 ₡708

-38.22%

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

$19.5K LKR 6.4M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-10.61%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-43.38%

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)

$2.08 LKR 688

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-94.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.36 LKR 2,434

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-85.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.19 LKR 3,041

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-87.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$2.46 LKR 815

$7.84 ₡3,535

-68.62%

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)

$10.68 LKR 3,535

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-80.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.54 LKR 2,495

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-86.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 LKR 28.3K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

8.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.29 LKR 8,365

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-67.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.6 LKR 25.4K

$786 ₡354.3K

-90.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.9 LKR 18.1K

$780 ₡351.6K

-92.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.2 LKR 27.5K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-94.09%

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)

$167 LKR 55.3K

$876 ₡395.0K

-80.91%

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 Ratnapura: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 35.3% $91

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$80 16.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 163% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 107% $62

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 1322% $725

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 517% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.4 * 2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 1807% $171

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4.1 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2039% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $76.6 in Ratnapura 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 424% 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 $9.00 in Ratnapura versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $350 – making Ratnapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

05:42 5:42 AM

11 h 30 min behind Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

4,912

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ratnapura Nosara 17,600 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ratnapura
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

Ratnapura vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $471 in Ratnapura, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 290% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $706 per month in Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura, 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 $9.00 in Ratnapura 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 $471 in Ratnapura and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 290%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $471, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Ratnapura 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 $471 in Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura. 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.