Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Westminster and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,302 in Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Westminster
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Westminster Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Westminster

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,302

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,302 per month in Westminster vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Westminster $2,302
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,867 per month in Westminster vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Westminster $3,867
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Westminster vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Westminster $5,432
Nosara $3,818

Westminster costs about 25% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Westminster and Nosara sit above the global median – Westminster by 71%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 £15.36

$12.35 ₡5,539

65.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 £63.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

38.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 £7.02

$7.52 ₡3,373

24.47%

Cappuccino

$4.67 £3.51

$4.41 ₡1,978

5.90%

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

$1.93 £1.45

$1.74 ₡780

10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.31 ₡587

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 £4.84

$3.28 ₡1,471

96.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 £4.53

$4.47 ₡2,004

35.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.56 ₡701

4.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 £1.08

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$2.51 ₡1,125

-24.70%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.98

$3.57 ₡1,603

11.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 £6.39

$7.43 ₡3,333

14.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 £6.72

$10.52 ₡4,717

-14.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 £10.07

$13.97 ₡6,265

-3.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.35 ₡1,052

31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.61 ₡720

-8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

-46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$1.61 ₡724

80.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$3.69 ₡1,657

-56.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 £0.91

$2.66 ₡1,191

-54.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.56 £16.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

335.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 £6.64

$19.88 ₡8,916

-55.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.90 ₡1,300

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 £1.92

$3.63 ₡1,626

-29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 £2.42

$1.12 ₡504

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$72.6 ₡32.6K

33.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.83 £3.63

$2.14 ₡958

125.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.57 ₡703

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.76

$8.52 ₡3,823

177.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.52 ₡682

34.21%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

76.27%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

19.04%

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

$308 £231

$96.3 ₡43.2K

219.74%

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

$14.31 £10.73

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-60.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.21 £30.92

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-23.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.00 £34.51

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$19.76 £14.82

$7.89 ₡3,539

150.44%

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

$1,878 £1,409

$494 ₡221.6K

280.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

85.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £79.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

95.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 £32.87

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-20.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 £67.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 £68.5

$79.6 ₡35.7K

14.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £925

$788 ₡353.4K

56.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 £749

$794 ₡356.2K

25.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 £1,546

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-47.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,610 £1,958

$1,419 ₡636.5K

83.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,959 £3,720

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-28.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,810 £2,858

$1,224 ₡549.0K

211.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,537 £2,653

$864 ₡387.3K

309.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

8.62

-37.35%

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

Last update for Westminster: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Westminster

$998 43.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 20.4% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Westminster

$363 15.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.9% $178

Eating Out

Westminster

$307 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Westminster

$278 12.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 26.9% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Westminster

$149 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.3% $29

Getting Around

Westminster

$122 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 28.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Westminster

$86 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.2% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,234 in Westminster 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 310% higher in Westminster, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Westminster versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $278 in Westminster vs $352 in Nosara – so Westminster wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Westminster

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

7 h behind Westminster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

247,614

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 17, 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 17, 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

Westminster Nosara 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Westminster
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

Westminster vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,302 in Westminster, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,453 per month in Westminster 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 $1,878 per month in Westminster 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 Westminster at $2,302. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Westminster 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 $2,302 in Westminster. 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, Westminster makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.