Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wattala and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $574 per month in Wattala vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Wattala $574
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $954 per month in Wattala vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Wattala $954
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,334 per month in Wattala vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Wattala $1,334
Nosara $3,818

Wattala is about 69% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wattala sits 57% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,239

$12.35 ₡5,539

-69.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 LKR 8,206

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-59.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 LKR 2,479

$7.52 ₡3,373

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 811

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.44%

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

$0.69 LKR 227

$1.74 ₡780

-60.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.5

$1.31 ₡587

-80.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 741

$3.28 ₡1,471

-31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 985

$4.47 ₡2,004

-33.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 519

$1.56 ₡701

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$3.02 ₡1,355

-81.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 250

$2.51 ₡1,125

-70.12%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$3.57 ₡1,603

-54.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,504

$7.43 ₡3,333

83.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$10.52 ₡4,717

-54.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 LKR 2,454

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.96%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 LKR 2,140

$2.35 ₡1,052

174.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.61 ₡720

-47.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 LKR 1,474

$4.80 ₡2,152

-7.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 423

$1.61 ₡724

-20.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 273

$3.69 ₡1,657

-77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$1.13 ₡507

-21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$2.66 ₡1,191

-82.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.42 LKR 3,450

$5.18 ₡2,321

101.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 LKR 4,188

$19.88 ₡8,916

-36.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 636

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,010

$3.63 ₡1,626

-15.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 LKR 66.2

$1.12 ₡504

-82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$2.14 ₡958

-82.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.57 ₡703

-78.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 310

$8.52 ₡3,823

-88.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 LKR 395

$1.52 ₡682

-21.71%

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

$37.1K LKR 12.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.67%

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

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.90%

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

$58.6 LKR 19.4K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-39.15%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,401

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-88.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 LKR 6,775

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-61.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.64 LKR 4,518

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-80.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.56 LKR 1,510

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-86.94%

Cinema Ticket

$2.99 LKR 990

$7.89 ₡3,539

-62.10%

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

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-92.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-89.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.13 LKR 6,006

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-66.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.81 LKR 5,566

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-69.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.41 LKR 14.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-46.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$105 LKR 34.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-86.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$60.6 LKR 20.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-92.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 LKR 80.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-93.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 LKR 59.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-87.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Wattala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wattala

$234 40.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 50.4% $118

Eating Out

Wattala

$103 17.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 106% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wattala

$83 14.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 123% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Wattala

$71 12.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 69.8% $49

Accommodation & Living

Wattala

$61 10.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1211% $734

Sport & Entertainment

Wattala

$20 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 345% $68

Getting Around

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 2914% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $105 in Wattala 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Wattala versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $352 – making Wattala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Wattala

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

02:18 2:18 AM

11 h 30 min behind Wattala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,200

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wattala Nosara 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Wattala
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

Wattala vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $574 in Wattala, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 220% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $861 per month in Wattala 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 Wattala, 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 Wattala 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 50% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wattala, where all-in costs run around $574, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Wattala 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 $574 in Wattala 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 Wattala. 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.