Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany, GA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,425 in Albany, GA, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Albany, GA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Albany, GA
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Albany, GA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Albany, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,425

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Albany, GA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Albany, GA $2,425
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,350 per month in Albany, GA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Albany, GA $3,350
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,275 per month in Albany, GA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Albany, GA $4,275
Nosara $3,818

Albany, GA costs about 32% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Albany, GA and Nosara sit above the global median – Albany, GA by 80%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.08 $13.08

$12.35 ₡5,539

5.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 $48.43

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-20.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 $10.38

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.03%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.41 ₡1,978

26.30%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.74 ₡780

71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.31 ₡587

66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 $7.32

$3.28 ₡1,471

123.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.47 ₡2,004

24.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.56 ₡701

-48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.51 ₡1,125

-17.53%

Eggs

$3.23 $3.23

$3.57 ₡1,603

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$7.43 ₡3,333

-0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 $10.73

$10.52 ₡4,717

2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.54 $10.54

$13.97 ₡6,265

-24.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.35 ₡1,052

149.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.61 ₡720

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$4.80 ₡2,152

28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.61 ₡724

188.20%

Potato (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.80 ₡1,703

8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.69 ₡1,657

12.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.13 ₡507

142.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.66 ₡1,191

-24.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$5.18 ₡2,321

90.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 $18.74

$19.88 ₡8,916

-5.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.90 ₡1,300

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.63 ₡1,626

69.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.12 ₡504

54.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.25 $45.25

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-37.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.52 ₡682

-44.08%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.75%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.97%

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

$184 $184

$96.3 ₡43.2K

90.86%

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

$41.49 $41.49

$35.89 ₡16.1K

15.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.0 $82.0

$53.6 ₡24.0K

53.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.96 $14.96

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-79.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.90 $10.90

$7.89 ₡3,539

38.15%

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

$728 $728

$494 ₡221.6K

47.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,327 $9,327

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-21.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.99 $31.99

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 $64.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-16.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.6 $54.6

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 $1,326

$788 ₡353.4K

68.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$794 ₡356.2K

65.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 $2,493

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-36.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$1,419 ₡636.5K

38.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,207 $1,207

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-82.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,251 $1,251

$1,224 ₡549.0K

2.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 $2,970

$864 ₡387.3K

243.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Albany, GA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albany, GA

$1.3K 54.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 39.5% $519

Groceries & Markets

Albany, GA

$352 14.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany, GA

$307 12.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.5% $122

Eating Out

Albany, GA

$271 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Albany, GA

$92 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30% $28

Getting Around

Albany, GA

$52 * 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 67% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Albany, GA

$37 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 138% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,326 in Albany, GA 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 244% higher in Albany, GA, 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 $48.00 in Albany, GA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $352 – making Albany, GA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albany, GA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

2 h behind Albany, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,224

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albany, GA Nosara 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Albany, GA
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

Albany, GA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Albany, GA is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,638 per month in Albany, GA 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.

Kindergarten costs $728 per month in Albany, GA and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Albany, GA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Albany, GA at $2,425. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Albany, GA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Albany, GA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.