Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,325 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rugby
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,325
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,325 per month in Rugby vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Rugby $2,325
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,479 per month in Rugby vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Rugby $3,479
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,633 per month in Rugby vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Rugby $4,633
  • Nosara $3,818

Rugby costs about 26% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rugby and Nosara sit above the global median – Rugby by 72%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.21 £15.16
$12.35 ₡5,539
63.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 £58.4
$61.2 ₡27.4K
27.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.15 £6.87
$7.52 ₡3,373
21.68%
Cappuccino
$4.91 £3.68
$4.41 ₡1,978
11.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 £1.61
$1.74 ₡780
22.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 £1.10
$1.31 ₡587
12.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.07 £4.55
$3.28 ₡1,471
85.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.25 £4.69
$4.47 ₡2,004
39.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 £1.28
$1.56 ₡701
8.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 £1.31
$3.02 ₡1,355
-42.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.54 £1.91
$2.51 ₡1,125
1.20%
Eggs
$3.95 £2.97
$3.57 ₡1,603
10.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.00 £6.75
$7.43 ₡3,333
21.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 £5.97
$10.52 ₡4,717
-24.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.82 £11.12
$13.97 ₡6,265
6.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.50 £1.87
$2.35 ₡1,052
6.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.61 ₡720
8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.40 £1.80
$4.80 ₡2,152
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 £2.31
$1.61 ₡724
90.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.59 £1.19
$3.80 ₡1,703
-58.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 £1.29
$3.69 ₡1,657
-53.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 £0.97
$1.13 ₡507
14.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 £1.17
$2.66 ₡1,191
-41.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.02 £16.52
$5.18 ₡2,321
325.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.03 £9.03
$19.88 ₡8,916
-39.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 £2.65
$2.90 ₡1,300
21.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 £2.47
$3.63 ₡1,626
-9.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.56 £1.92
$1.12 ₡504
128.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.9 £71.9
$72.6 ₡32.6K
31.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.66 £3.50
$2.14 ₡958
117.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.57 ₡703
6.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.98 £17.99
$8.52 ₡3,823
181.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.57
$1.52 ₡682
37.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K £28.3K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
74.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.4K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
17.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$267 £200
$96.3 ₡43.2K
176.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.15 £15.12
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-43.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.12 £35.35
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-12.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.8 £42.61
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-20.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.75 £11.06
$7.89 ₡3,539
86.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,566 £1,175
$494 ₡221.6K
216.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K £16.9K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
89.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 £78.9
$53.9 ₡24.2K
95.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.79 £23.10
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-44.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.6 £63.5
$77.9 ₡34.9K
8.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 £82.6
$79.6 ₡35.7K
38.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,135 £851
$788 ₡353.4K
43.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,031 £774
$794 ₡356.2K
29.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,773 £1,330
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-54.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,839 £1,380
$1,419 ₡636.5K
29.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,108 £3,832
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-26.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,853 £2,890
$1,224 ₡549.0K
214.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rugby
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,630 £3,474
$864 ₡387.3K
436.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.09
8.62
-40.95%

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

Last update for Rugby: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rugby
$1K
Nosara
$794 23% $237
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rugby
$334
Nosara
$186 44.3% $148
Eating Out
Rugby
$305
Nosara
$212 30.6% $93
Groceries & Markets
Rugby
$300
Nosara
$352 17.4% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Rugby
$149
Nosara
$120 19.3% $29
Getting Around
Rugby
$119
Nosara
$87 26.9% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Rugby
$86
Nosara
$87 1.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,135 in Rugby 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 436% higher in Rugby, 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 $78.0 in Rugby versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Rugby vs $352 in Nosara – so Rugby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Rugby
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
04:25 4:25 AM
21:25 9:25 PM
7 h behind Rugby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,628
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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
  • Rugby Nosara 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rugby
  • 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
Rugby vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Rugby and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,325 in Rugby, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Rugby compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,487 per month in Rugby 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 Rugby and Nosara?
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.
How do commuting costs compare in Rugby and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 32% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Rugby and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $1,566 per month in Rugby and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Rugby at $2,325. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rugby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Rugby and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,325 in Rugby. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Rugby 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 Rugby and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rugby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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