Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockton-on-Tees and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Stockton-on-Tees: $1,687 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Stockton-on-Tees
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,687
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,687 per month in Stockton-on-Tees vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Stockton-on-Tees $1,687
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,419 per month in Stockton-on-Tees vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Stockton-on-Tees $2,419
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Stockton-on-Tees vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Stockton-on-Tees $3,152
  • Nosara $3,818

Stockton-on-Tees is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stockton-on-Tees and Nosara sit above the global median – Stockton-on-Tees by 25%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.35 £10.01
$12.35 ₡5,539
8.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.9 £51.7
$61.2 ₡27.4K
12.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.46 £7.84
$7.52 ₡3,373
39.10%
Cappuccino
$3.43 £2.58
$4.41 ₡1,978
-22.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 £1.74
$1.74 ₡780
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.31 ₡587
54.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.59 £3.45
$3.28 ₡1,471
39.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 £3.13
$4.47 ₡2,004
-6.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 £0.92
$1.56 ₡701
-21.15%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 £0.74
$3.02 ₡1,355
-67.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 £1.06
$2.51 ₡1,125
-43.82%
Eggs
$3.64 £2.73
$3.57 ₡1,603
1.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.83 £5.87
$7.43 ₡3,333
5.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.96 £5.22
$10.52 ₡4,717
-33.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.85 £10.39
$13.97 ₡6,265
-0.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.48 £1.86
$2.35 ₡1,052
5.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.61 ₡720
-0.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 £1.68
$4.80 ₡2,152
-53.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 £1.41
$1.61 ₡724
16.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 £1.33
$3.80 ₡1,703
-53.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 £1.00
$3.69 ₡1,657
-63.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 £0.90
$1.13 ₡507
6.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 £1.18
$2.66 ₡1,191
-40.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.29 £16.72
$5.18 ₡2,321
330.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.09 £6.07
$19.88 ₡8,916
-59.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.99 £2.24
$2.90 ₡1,300
3.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 £2.79
$3.63 ₡1,626
2.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.91 £2.93
$1.12 ₡504
249.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.3 £46.75
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-14.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.19 £3.15
$2.14 ₡958
95.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.57 ₡703
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.41 £25.06
$8.52 ₡3,823
292.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.50
$1.52 ₡682
30.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.7K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
77.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £29.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
15.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$346 £260
$96.3 ₡43.2K
259.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.29 £18.97
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-29.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.62 £33.47
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-16.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.44 £13.08
$7.89 ₡3,539
121.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$811 £609
$494 ₡221.6K
64.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 £82.6
$53.9 ₡24.2K
103.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.2 £41.40
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-0.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 £84.1
$77.9 ₡34.9K
43.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 £84.7
$79.6 ₡35.7K
41.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$598 £448
$788 ₡353.4K
-24.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$497 £373
$794 ₡356.2K
-37.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$777 £583
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-80.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$700 £525
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-50.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stockton-on-Tees
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,972 £1,480
$864 ₡387.3K
128.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.53
8.62
-35.85%

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

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: 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
Stockton-on-Tees
$498
Nosara
$794 59.7% $297
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stockton-on-Tees
$416
Nosara
$186 55.3% $230
Groceries & Markets
Stockton-on-Tees
$253
Nosara
$352 39.4% $100
Eating Out
Stockton-on-Tees
$228
Nosara
$212 7.1% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Stockton-on-Tees
$176
Nosara
$120 31.6% $55
Getting Around
Stockton-on-Tees
$82 *
Nosara
$87 6% $5
Sport & Entertainment
Stockton-on-Tees
$35 *
Nosara
$87 151% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Stockton-on-Tees 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 128% higher in Stockton-on-Tees, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $253 in Stockton-on-Tees vs $352 in Nosara – so Stockton-on-Tees wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Stockton-on-Tees
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
09:38 9:38 AM
02:38 2:38 AM
7 h behind Stockton-on-Tees
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
82,729
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 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
  • Stockton-on-Tees Nosara 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Stockton-on-Tees
  • 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
Stockton-on-Tees vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Stockton-on-Tees and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,687 in Stockton-on-Tees, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Stockton-on-Tees compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,530 per month in Stockton-on-Tees 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 Stockton-on-Tees and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Stockton-on-Tees, 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 Stockton-on-Tees and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Stockton-on-Tees. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Stockton-on-Tees and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $811 per month in Stockton-on-Tees 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 Stockton-on-Tees, where all-in costs run around $1,687, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Stockton-on-Tees it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Stockton-on-Tees and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,687 in Stockton-on-Tees to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Stockton-on-Tees 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 Stockton-on-Tees and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Stockton-on-Tees. 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.

Stockton-on-Tees vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?