Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,255 in St. Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,255 per month in St. Andrews vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Andrews $2,255
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,874 per month in St. Andrews vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Andrews $3,874
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,492 per month in St. Andrews vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Andrews $5,492
Nosara $3,712

St. Andrews costs about 23% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Andrews and Nosara sit above the global median – St. Andrews by 68%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.47 £16.23

$12.22 ₡5,509

75.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 £63.9

$60.2 ₡27.1K

40.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 £8.03

$7.54 ₡3,399

40.85%

Cappuccino

$4.67 £3.53

$4.31 ₡1,941

8.35%

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

$2.81 £2.13

$1.72 ₡773

63.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$1.35 ₡608

59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.51 £4.92

$3.24 ₡1,459

100.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.98

$4.48 ₡2,018

47.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.19

$1.57 ₡707

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.32

$3.17 ₡1,429

-45.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.42 ₡1,091

-16.53%

Eggs

$4.45 £3.37

$3.57 ₡1,609

24.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 £5.59

$7.43 ₡3,349

-0.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 £7.13

$10.42 ₡4,697

-9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 £11.66

$13.66 ₡6,156

12.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 £1.85

$2.32 ₡1,044

5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 £1.00

$1.61 ₡728

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.14

$4.74 ₡2,138

-40.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$1.66 ₡747

71.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.33

$3.72 ₡1,679

-52.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$3.57 ₡1,611

-58.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.95

$1.10 ₡497

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 £1.85

$2.55 ₡1,149

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.65 £17.12

$4.95 ₡2,232

357.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 £8.25

$20.01 ₡9,020

-45.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.06

$2.79 ₡1,256

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.28

$3.53 ₡1,589

-14.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.65 £3.52

$1.19 ₡537

290.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 £2.98

$2.24 ₡1,011

76.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.84

$1.55 ₡701

57.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.22 £18.31

$8.86 ₡3,993

173.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.57 ₡708

33.12%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.07%

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

$41.2K £31.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

19.01%

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

$239 £181

$93.5 ₡42.1K

155.56%

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

$12.98 £9.81

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-63.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.73 £32.30

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-17.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.2 £69.7

$71.4 ₡32.2K

29.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.16 £9.94

$7.84 ₡3,535

67.86%

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

$1,773 £1,340

$490 ₡220.7K

262.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K £17.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

95.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 £71.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

76.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.10 £36.36

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-13.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

31.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 £66.1

$78.9 ₡35.6K

10.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 £1,023

$786 ₡354.3K

72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 £777

$780 ₡351.6K

31.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 £2,330

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-20.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,706 £2,045

$1,407 ₡634.4K

92.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,113 £4,621

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-12.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,693 £2,036

$1,201 ₡541.3K

124.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,284 £2,483

$876 ₡395.0K

274.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

8.62

-37.24%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Andrews

$1K 45.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 24.2% $249

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$325 14.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 35.6% $116

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$305 13.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 14.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$295 13.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 38.9% $114

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$151 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 20% $30

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$119 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.5% $31

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 150% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,354 in St. Andrews 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 275% higher in St. Andrews, 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 $84.0 in St. Andrews versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in St. Andrews vs $350 in Nosara – so St. Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

19:09 7:09 PM

7 h behind St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

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

St. Andrews Nosara 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Andrews
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

St. Andrews vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,255 in St. Andrews, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,383 per month in St. Andrews 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in St. Andrews and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in St. Andrews – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in St. Andrews at $2,255. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Andrews 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 $2,255 in St. Andrews. 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, St. Andrews makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.