Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $713 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$713

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $713 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $713
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,101 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,101
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,490 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,490
Nosara $3,818

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is about 61% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte sits 47% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.32 LKR 1,430

$12.35 ₡5,539

-65.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.52 LKR 8,122

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 LKR 2,478

$7.52 ₡3,373

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$2.46 LKR 815

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.22%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$1.74 ₡780

-60.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$1.31 ₡587

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 719

$3.28 ₡1,471

-33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 976

$4.47 ₡2,004

-34.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 440

$1.56 ₡701

-14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$3.02 ₡1,355

-82.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 243

$2.51 ₡1,125

-70.92%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$3.57 ₡1,603

-54.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 LKR 4,599

$7.43 ₡3,333

86.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 LKR 1,480

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.32 LKR 1,762

$13.97 ₡6,265

-61.92%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 LKR 2,054

$2.35 ₡1,052

163.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.61 ₡720

-50.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 LKR 1,465

$4.80 ₡2,152

-7.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 LKR 413

$1.61 ₡724

-22.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 312

$3.80 ₡1,703

-75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 265

$3.69 ₡1,657

-78.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$1.13 ₡507

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$2.66 ₡1,191

-82.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 LKR 2,919

$5.18 ₡2,321

70.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 LKR 4,185

$19.88 ₡8,916

-36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 628

$2.90 ₡1,300

-34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,006

$3.63 ₡1,626

-16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 LKR 103

$2.14 ₡958

-85.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.57 ₡703

-78.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 307

$8.52 ₡3,823

-89.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 LKR 364

$1.52 ₡682

-27.63%

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

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.46%

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

$40.6K LKR 13.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

17.70%

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

$44.92 LKR 14.9K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-53.35%

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

$4.15 LKR 1,373

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.29 LKR 4,069

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-77.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.01 LKR 4,972

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-79.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.01 LKR 998

$7.89 ₡3,539

-61.85%

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

$37.46 LKR 12.4K

$494 ₡221.6K

-92.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$909 LKR 301.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-92.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.47 LKR 6,118

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-65.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.90 LKR 5,597

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-69.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 LKR 26.7K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

3.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.96 LKR 13.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-47.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 LKR 101.7K

$788 ₡353.4K

-61.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 LKR 75.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-71.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 LKR 148.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-88.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 LKR 126.8K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-73.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 LKR 223.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-90.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$538 LKR 178.2K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-56.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 LKR 101.8K

$864 ₡387.3K

-64.41%

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$228 32%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 248% $566

Groceries & Markets

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 58.6% $130

Eating Out

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$107 15%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 97.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$71 10%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 69% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$61 8.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 203% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 315% $66

Getting Around

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4191% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 181% 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 $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $352 – making Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

02:18 2:18 AM

11 h 30 min behind Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,826 Capital

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Nosara 17,550 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 158% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,069 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, 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 $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 59% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte to $1,839 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. 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.