Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wells and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,387 in Wells, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wells outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Wells
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Wells Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Wells

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,387

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,387 per month in Wells vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Wells $2,387
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,377 per month in Wells vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Wells $3,377
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,367 per month in Wells vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Wells $4,367
Nosara $3,818

Wells costs about 30% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wells and Nosara sit above the global median – Wells by 77%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 £14.72

$12.35 ₡5,539

58.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 £72.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

58.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.52 £7.14

$7.52 ₡3,373

26.60%

Cappuccino

$4.72 £3.54

$4.41 ₡1,978

7.03%

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

$2.19 £1.64

$1.74 ₡780

25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$1.31 ₡587

87.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 £5.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

106.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 £4.75

$4.47 ₡2,004

41.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.56 ₡701

-7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 £0.97

$3.02 ₡1,355

-57.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.51 ₡1,125

-32.67%

Eggs

$3.92 £2.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 £6.41

$7.43 ₡3,333

15.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 £3.47

$10.52 ₡4,717

-56.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.05 £9.04

$13.97 ₡6,265

-13.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.35 ₡1,052

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.61 ₡720

-16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 £1.62

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 £2.35

$1.61 ₡724

95.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 £0.58

$3.80 ₡1,703

-79.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.13 ₡507

34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$2.66 ₡1,191

-33.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.49 £17.62

$5.18 ₡2,321

353.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.38 £7.04

$19.88 ₡8,916

-52.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.53

$2.90 ₡1,300

16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.95

$3.63 ₡1,626

-28.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 £2.59

$1.12 ₡504

208.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

33.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 £4.25

$2.14 ₡958

164.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.57 ₡703

-31.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.91 £17.94

$8.52 ₡3,823

180.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.52 ₡682

30.92%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.09%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

17.32%

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

$466 £349

$96.3 ₡43.2K

383.81%

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

$13.39 £10.04

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-62.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.29 £30.23

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-24.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.14 £33.87

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 £9.59

$7.89 ₡3,539

61.98%

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

$1,444 £1,083

$494 ₡221.6K

192.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K £12.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

44.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.71 £27.54

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-31.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 £23.85

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 £44.67

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 £56.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 £928

$788 ₡353.4K

56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 £766

$794 ₡356.2K

28.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 £1,558

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-47.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 £1,167

$1,419 ₡636.5K

9.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,978 £3,735

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-27.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 £2,912

$1,224 ₡549.0K

217.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

8.62

-40.72%

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

Last update for Wells: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wells

$1K 42.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 22.2% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wells

$520 21.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 64.2% $334

Eating Out

Wells

$307 12.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 31.1% $95

Groceries & Markets

Wells

$255 10.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 38.1% $97

Getting Around

Wells

$122 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 28.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Wells

$92 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Wells

$71 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Wells 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 $97.0 in Wells versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Wells vs $352 in Nosara – so Wells wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Wells

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

12:28 12:28 PM

7 h behind Wells

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,000

4,912

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wells Nosara 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Wells
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

Wells vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,387 in Wells, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,581 per month in Wells 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,444 per month in Wells and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Wells at $2,387. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wells 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,387 in Wells. 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, Wells makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.