Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,681 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,681

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,681 per month in Southampton vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Southampton $2,681
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,835 per month in Southampton vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Southampton $3,835
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,989 per month in Southampton vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Southampton $4,989
Nosara $3,712

Southampton costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southampton and Nosara sit above the global median – Southampton by 100%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.05 £19.68

$12.22 ₡5,509

113.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 £68.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

50.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 £8.57

$7.54 ₡3,399

50.53%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.89

$4.31 ₡1,941

19.26%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$1.72 ₡773

72.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.62

$1.35 ₡608

58.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 £5.65

$3.24 ₡1,459

130.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 £4.94

$4.48 ₡2,018

45.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.48

$1.57 ₡707

24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$3.17 ₡1,429

-45.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$2.42 ₡1,091

23.14%

Eggs

$4.54 £3.43

$3.57 ₡1,609

27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 £7.47

$7.43 ₡3,349

33.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.12

$10.42 ₡4,697

-9.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 £10.78

$13.66 ₡6,156

4.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$2.32 ₡1,044

28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.61 ₡728

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.18

$4.74 ₡2,138

-39.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.68

$1.66 ₡747

113.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$3.72 ₡1,679

-52.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$3.57 ₡1,611

-57.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.94

$1.10 ₡497

12.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.32

$2.55 ₡1,149

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.37 £16.15

$4.95 ₡2,232

331.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 £8.20

$20.01 ₡9,020

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.23

$2.79 ₡1,256

5.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.62

$3.53 ₡1,589

-1.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$1.19 ₡537

163.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 £65.1

$72.1 ₡32.5K

19.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 £3.23

$2.24 ₡1,011

90.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.55 ₡701

24.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.36 £23.70

$8.86 ₡3,993

253.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.57 ₡708

33.12%

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

$37.7K £28.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

73.03%

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

$40.2K £30.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

15.93%

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

$325 £245

$93.5 ₡42.1K

247.57%

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

$29.44 £22.25

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 £40.75

$51.5 ₡23.2K

4.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 £31.00

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-42.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.46 £12.44

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-53.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 £11.85

$7.84 ₡3,535

100.13%

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

$1,560 £1,179

$490 ₡220.7K

218.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

49.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £77.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

92.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.49

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 £75.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

25.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 £101

$78.9 ₡35.6K

68.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 £1,133

$786 ₡354.3K

90.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 £901

$780 ₡351.6K

52.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 £1,811

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-37.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 £1,405

$1,407 ₡634.4K

32.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,870 £4,436

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-15.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,381 £4,066

$1,201 ₡541.3K

348.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 £2,519

$876 ₡395.0K

280.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

8.62

-42.46%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 45%

Nosara

$780 43% 34.6% $412

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$408 15.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 55.9% $228

Eating Out

Southampton

$375 14.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 44.2% $166

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$319 12%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$174 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30.8% $54

Getting Around

Southampton

$113 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 22.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$72 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 20.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,500 in Southampton 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 280% higher in Southampton, 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 $91.0 in Southampton versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $319 in Southampton vs $350 in Nosara – so Southampton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

7 h behind Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southampton Nosara 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

Southampton vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,681 in Southampton, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,021 per month in Southampton 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,560 per month in Southampton and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Southampton at $2,681. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southampton 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,681 in Southampton. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Southampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.