Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windsor and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,096 in Windsor, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Windsor
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,096
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,096 per month in Windsor vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Windsor $2,096
  • Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,498 per month in Windsor vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Windsor $3,498
  • Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,901 per month in Windsor vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Windsor $4,901
  • Nosara $3,712

Windsor costs about 14% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Windsor and Nosara sit above the global median – Windsor by 56%, Nosara by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.07 £15.92
$12.22 ₡5,509
72.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.6 £69.2
$60.2 ₡27.1K
52.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.43 £7.88
$7.54 ₡3,399
38.33%
Cappuccino
$4.73 £3.57
$4.31 ₡1,941
9.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 £2.05
$1.72 ₡773
57.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.38
$1.35 ₡608
34.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.11 £4.62
$3.24 ₡1,459
88.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.32 £4.02
$4.48 ₡2,018
18.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.57 ₡707
-4.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 £0.97
$3.17 ₡1,429
-59.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 £1.24
$2.42 ₡1,091
-32.64%
Eggs
$3.30 £2.49
$3.57 ₡1,609
-7.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.53 £7.20
$7.43 ₡3,349
28.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.75 £5.86
$10.42 ₡4,697
-25.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.47 £10.93
$13.66 ₡6,156
5.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.40
$2.32 ₡1,044
36.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 £1.11
$1.61 ₡728
-9.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.74 £2.07
$4.74 ₡2,138
-42.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.47
$1.66 ₡747
96.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$3.72 ₡1,679
-55.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 £1.08
$3.57 ₡1,611
-60.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.76 £1.33
$1.10 ₡497
60.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 £1.11
$2.55 ₡1,149
-42.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.09 £17.45
$4.95 ₡2,232
366.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.15 £8.43
$20.01 ₡9,020
-44.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.73 £2.06
$2.79 ₡1,256
-2.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 £2.76
$3.53 ₡1,589
3.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.01 £2.27
$1.19 ₡537
152.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.0 £71.1
$72.1 ₡32.5K
30.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.83 £4.41
$2.24 ₡1,011
160.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 £1.01
$1.55 ₡701
-13.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.21 £16.03
$8.86 ₡3,993
139.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 £1.41
$1.57 ₡708
19.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.8K
$21.8K ₡9.8M
75.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K £30.5K
$34.6K ₡15.6M
16.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 £119
$93.5 ₡42.1K
68.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.26 £13.80
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-47.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.31 £25.17
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-35.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.40 £35.06
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-35.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$35.44 ₡16.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.72 £15.66
$7.84 ₡3,535
164.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,064 £804
$490 ₡220.7K
117.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K £18.1K
$11.9K ₡5.4M
101.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.9 £52.8
$53.5 ₡24.1K
30.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.34 £21.41
$55.8 ₡25.1K
-49.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 £58.9
$79.3 ₡35.7K
-1.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.0 £38.53
$78.9 ₡35.6K
-35.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 £936
$786 ₡354.3K
57.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,031 £779
$780 ₡351.6K
32.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,136 £1,614
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-44.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,275 £1,719
$1,407 ₡634.4K
61.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,096 £3,851
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-26.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,902 £2,949
$1,201 ₡541.3K
224.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Windsor
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,301 £2,494
$876 ₡395.0K
276.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.91
8.62
-43.04%

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

Last update for Windsor: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Windsor
$1K
Nosara
$780 24.3% $251
Eating Out
Windsor
$316
Nosara
$209 33.7% $106
Groceries & Markets
Windsor
$286
Nosara
$350 22.3% $64
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Windsor
$209
Nosara
$180 13.8% $29
Getting Around
Windsor
$119
Nosara
$87 26.8% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Windsor
$102
Nosara
$120 17.7% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Windsor
$88
Nosara
$87 0.9% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,239 in Windsor versus $786 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 277% higher in Windsor, 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 $92.0 in Windsor versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $286 in Windsor vs $350 in Nosara – so Windsor wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Windsor
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
19:16 7:16 PM
12:16 12:16 PM
7 h behind Windsor
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
31,225
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Windsor Nosara 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Windsor
  • 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
Windsor vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Windsor and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,096 in Windsor, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Windsor compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,144 per month in Windsor and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Windsor 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 Windsor 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 Windsor and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $1,064 per month in Windsor 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 $1,837, than in Windsor at $2,096. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Windsor it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Windsor and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,096 in Windsor. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Windsor 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 Windsor and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Windsor makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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