Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Totnes and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,559 in Totnes, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Totnes
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,559
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Totnes vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Totnes $2,559
  • Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,763 per month in Totnes vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Totnes $3,763
  • Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,967 per month in Totnes vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Totnes $4,967
  • Nosara $3,814

Totnes costs about 39% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Totnes and Nosara sit above the global median – Totnes by 89%, Nosara by 35%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.89 £15.67
$12.34 ₡5,535
69.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100.0 £75.0
$61.3 ₡27.5K
63.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.14 £9.11
$7.76 ₡3,481
56.44%
Cappuccino
$4.89 £3.67
$4.44 ₡1,992
10.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 £2.30
$1.79 ₡803
70.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 £1.57
$1.29 ₡580
62.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 £5.02
$3.24 ₡1,451
106.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.35 £5.51
$4.43 ₡1,985
65.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.55 ₡696
9.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 £1.12
$3.08 ₡1,380
-51.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 £1.66
$2.53 ₡1,133
-12.65%
Eggs
$4.20 £3.15
$3.45 ₡1,546
21.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.18 £4.64
$7.32 ₡3,284
-15.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.89 £8.92
$10.24 ₡4,594
16.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.75 £9.56
$14.10 ₡6,326
-9.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$2.29 ₡1,027
-3.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 £1.34
$1.64 ₡737
8.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 £1.47
$4.79 ₡2,149
-59.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 £1.63
$1.64 ₡735
32.32%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 £1.63
$3.85 ₡1,727
-43.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 £0.95
$3.75 ₡1,681
-66.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 £1.46
$1.09 ₡488
77.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 £1.46
$2.59 ₡1,160
-25.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.89
$5.12 ₡2,295
365.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.79 £7.34
$19.92 ₡8,931
-50.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 £2.13
$2.80 ₡1,255
1.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 £1.81
$3.52 ₡1,580
-31.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.03 £3.02
$1.22 ₡549
230.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.8 £71.9
$73.9 ₡33.1K
29.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.41 £2.55
$2.17 ₡973
57.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.43 £1.83
$1.56 ₡698
55.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.93 £24.70
$8.67 ₡3,886
279.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.57
$1.55 ₡697
34.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
10.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K £29.8K
$38.7K ₡17.4M
2.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$366 £274
$94.8 ₡42.5K
285.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.02 £12.02
$36.15 ₡16.2K
-55.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.55 £32.68
$53.1 ₡23.8K
-17.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.72 £34.30
$73.8 ₡33.1K
-38.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$35.63 ₡16.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.96 £15.73
$7.91 ₡3,548
164.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,264 £1,699
$490 ₡219.9K
361.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.6K £25.9K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
190.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.3 £66.2
$54.8 ₡24.6K
61.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.61 £37.22
$55.9 ₡25.1K
-11.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$156 £117
$80.4 ₡36.0K
94.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$142 £107
$77.9 ₡34.9K
82.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,297 £973
$801 ₡359.1K
61.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,098 £824
$790 ₡354.1K
39.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,795 £1,346
$4,005 ₡1.8M
-55.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,815 £1,362
$1,409 ₡632.0K
28.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,128 £3,847
$7,064 ₡3.2M
-27.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,321 £3,242
$1,236 ₡554.3K
249.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Totnes
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$887 ₡397.6K
-
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 Totnes: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Totnes
$1.1K
Nosara
$790 28.1% $309
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Totnes
$425
Nosara
$184 56.7% $241
Eating Out
Totnes
$331
Nosara
$213 35.7% $118
Groceries & Markets
Totnes
$293
Nosara
$350 19.4% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Totnes
$196
Nosara
$121 38.4% $75
Getting Around
Totnes
$128
Nosara
$89 30.4% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Totnes
$88
Nosara
$90 2.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,297 in Totnes versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Totnes versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Totnes vs $350 in Nosara – so Totnes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Totnes
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
19:16 7:16 PM
12:16 12:16 PM
7 h behind Totnes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 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
  • Totnes Nosara 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Totnes
  • 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
Totnes vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Totnes and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Totnes, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Totnes compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,839 per month in Totnes and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Totnes 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 Totnes and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 30% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Totnes and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $2,264 per month in Totnes and $490 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 $1,835, than in Totnes at $2,559. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Totnes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Totnes and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,559 in Totnes. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Totnes 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 Totnes and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Totnes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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