Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $385 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$385

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $385 per month in Varkala vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Varkala $385
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $612 per month in Varkala vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Varkala $612
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $839 per month in Varkala vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Varkala $839
Nosara $3,814

Varkala is about 79% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varkala sits 72% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ₹225

$12.34 ₡5,535

-80.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.35 ₹983

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-83.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.51 ₹333

$7.76 ₡3,481

-54.77%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$4.44 ₡1,992

-64.19%

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

$0.37 ₹35.47

$1.79 ₡803

-79.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.74

$1.29 ₡580

-89.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₹167

$3.24 ₡1,451

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₹290

$4.43 ₡1,985

-31.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ₹61.9

$1.55 ₡696

-58.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₹46.20

$3.08 ₡1,380

-84.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.1

$2.53 ₡1,133

-71.94%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.0

$3.45 ₡1,546

-72.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₹487

$7.32 ₡3,284

-29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ₹289

$10.24 ₡4,594

-70.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ₹194

$2.29 ₡1,027

-10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.4

$1.64 ₡737

-57.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₹89.0

$4.79 ₡2,149

-80.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.4

$1.64 ₡735

-67.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.96

$3.85 ₡1,727

-90.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.91

$3.75 ₡1,681

-88.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.97

$1.09 ₡488

-58.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.84

$2.59 ₡1,160

-88.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ₹366

$5.12 ₡2,295

-24.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 ₹712

$19.92 ₡8,931

-62.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₹170

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₹266

$3.52 ₡1,580

-20.45%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.36 ₹509

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.45

$1.22 ₡549

-77.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 ₹823

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-88.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₹75.2

$2.17 ₡973

-63.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.73

$1.56 ₡698

-83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ₹140

$8.67 ₡3,886

-83.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₹116

$1.55 ₡697

-20.65%

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

$14.1K ₹1.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-59.10%

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

$22.0K ₹2.1M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-43.15%

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

$38.61 ₹3,666

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-59.28%

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

$3.52 ₹334

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-90.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ₹691

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-86.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.16 ₹1,534

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-78.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.04 ₹668

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-80.24%

Cinema Ticket

$2.92 ₹277

$7.91 ₡3,548

-63.08%

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

$51.7 ₹4,906

$490 ₡219.9K

-89.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ₹145.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-87.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.84 ₹2,264

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-56.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.34 ₹2,406

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-54.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.87 ₹4,070

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-46.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.88 ₹2,932

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-60.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 ₹12.0K

$801 ₡359.1K

-84.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.7 ₹7,094

$790 ₡354.1K

-90.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₹25.6K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-93.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹17.0K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-87.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.2K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-84.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 ₹57.6K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-50.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

8.62

0.58%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$106 27.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 229% $243

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 957% $715

Eating Out

Varkala

$66 17%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 224% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 119% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$49 12.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 273% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$22 5.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 307% $68

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 651% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Varkala 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 $10.00 in Varkala versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $106 vs $350 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

12:47 12:47 PM

11 h 30 min behind Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varkala Nosara 17,160 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $385 in Varkala, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 376% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $578 per month in Varkala and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 753% less in Varkala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $51.7 per month in Varkala and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varkala, where all-in costs run around $385, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Varkala 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 $385 in Varkala to $1,835 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 Varkala. 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.