Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Woking and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,164 in Woking, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Woking
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,164
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,164 per month in Woking vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Woking $3,164
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,352 per month in Woking vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Woking $4,352
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,540 per month in Woking vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Woking $5,540
  • Nosara $3,818

Woking costs about 72% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Woking and Nosara sit above the global median – Woking by 134%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.85 £16.39
$12.35 ₡5,539
76.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$86.9 £65.2
$61.2 ₡27.4K
41.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 £7.50
$7.52 ₡3,373
32.98%
Cappuccino
$4.49 £3.37
$4.41 ₡1,978
1.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 £1.76
$1.74 ₡780
34.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 £1.27
$1.31 ₡587
29.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.20 £6.15
$3.28 ₡1,471
150.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 £4.44
$4.47 ₡2,004
32.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$1.56 ₡701
7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.95 £1.46
$3.02 ₡1,355
-35.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.82 £2.12
$2.51 ₡1,125
12.35%
Eggs
$4.23 £3.17
$3.57 ₡1,603
18.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.69 £9.52
$7.43 ₡3,333
70.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.69 £7.27
$10.52 ₡4,717
-7.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.36 £10.77
$13.97 ₡6,265
2.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.57 £2.68
$2.35 ₡1,052
51.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 £1.00
$1.61 ₡720
-16.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$4.80 ₡2,152
-31.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.61 ₡724
152.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 £0.82
$3.80 ₡1,703
-71.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 £0.93
$3.69 ₡1,657
-66.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 £0.81
$1.13 ₡507
-4.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 £0.75
$2.66 ₡1,191
-62.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.37 £13.03
$5.18 ₡2,321
235.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.44 £7.83
$19.88 ₡8,916
-47.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 £1.86
$2.90 ₡1,300
-14.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 £2.36
$3.63 ₡1,626
-13.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Woking
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.01 £3.01
$1.12 ₡504
258.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$104 £77.9
$72.6 ₡32.6K
43.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.71 £3.54
$2.14 ₡958
120.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.89 £2.92
$1.57 ₡703
147.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.16 £15.12
$8.52 ₡3,823
136.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.90 £1.42
$1.52 ₡682
25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.0K £28.5K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
75.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.8K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
18.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$497 £373
$96.3 ₡43.2K
416.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.67 £12.50
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-53.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.61 £32.72
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-18.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 £37.56
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-30.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.63 £10.22
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-60.96%
Cinema Ticket
$14.04 £10.53
$7.89 ₡3,539
77.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,037 £1,528
$494 ₡221.6K
312.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.3K £20.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
129.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 £83.6
$53.9 ₡24.2K
106.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.6 £40.94
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-1.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 £78.9
$77.9 ₡34.9K
34.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.7 £62.0
$79.6 ₡35.7K
3.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Woking
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,764 £1,323
$788 ₡353.4K
123.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,582 £1,187
$794 ₡356.2K
99.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,625 £1,969
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-33.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,317 £1,739
$1,419 ₡636.5K
63.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,813 £5,861
$6,912 ₡3.1M
13.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,246 £4,685
$1,224 ₡549.0K
410.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Woking
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,669 £2,752
$864 ₡387.3K
324.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.64
8.62
-34.57%

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

Last update for Woking: 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
Woking
$1.6K
Nosara
$794 49.8% $788
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Woking
$557
Nosara
$186 66.7% $372
Eating Out
Woking
$328
Nosara
$212 35.4% $116
Groceries & Markets
Woking
$315
Nosara
$352 11.8% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Woking
$159
Nosara
$120 24.6% $39
Getting Around
Woking
$144
Nosara
$87 39.5% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Woking
$78
Nosara
$87 11.8% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,764 in Woking 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 325% higher in Woking, 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 $87.0 in Woking versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Woking vs $352 in Nosara – so Woking wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Woking
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
00:38 12:38 AM
17:38 5:38 PM
7 h behind Woking
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
103,900
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Woking Nosara 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Woking
  • 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
Woking vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Woking and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,164 in Woking, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 72% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Woking compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,745 per month in Woking and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Woking 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 Woking and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 43% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Woking and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $2,037 per month in Woking and $494 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 $1,839, than in Woking at $3,164. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Woking it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Woking and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $3,164 in Woking. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Woking 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 Woking and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Woking makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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