Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, MN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,122 in Alexandria, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, MN
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Alexandria, MN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alexandria, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,122

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,122 in Alexandria, MN versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Alexandria, MN $2,122
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,258 in Alexandria, MN versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Alexandria, MN $3,258
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,395 in Alexandria, MN versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Alexandria, MN $4,395
Nosara $3,712

Living in Alexandria, MN is roughly 15% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, MN 58% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$12.22 ₡5,509

24.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 $60.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 $9.80

$7.54 ₡3,399

29.97%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$4.31 ₡1,941

21.11%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.72 ₡773

15.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.35 ₡608

49.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.24 ₡1,459

66.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.48 ₡2,018

72.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.57 ₡707

-42.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.17 ₡1,429

7.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.42 ₡1,091

43.80%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$3.57 ₡1,609

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 $9.53

$7.43 ₡3,349

28.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$10.42 ₡4,697

-9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 $13.61

$13.66 ₡6,156

-0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.32 ₡1,044

113.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.61 ₡728

-31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$4.74 ₡2,138

31.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.66 ₡747

196.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.72 ₡1,679

5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.57 ₡1,611

0.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.10 ₡497

79.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.55 ₡1,149

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 $12.15

$4.95 ₡2,232

145.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.52 $14.52

$20.01 ₡9,020

-27.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.79 ₡1,256

-39.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.53 ₡1,589

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 $123

$72.1 ₡32.5K

71.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.24 ₡1,011

12.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.55 ₡701

-2.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.20 $31.20

$8.86 ₡3,993

252.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.57 ₡708

-37.58%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.34%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-25.39%

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

$233 $233

$93.5 ₡42.1K

148.87%

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

$49.57 $49.57

$35.11 ₡15.8K

41.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.2 $65.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

26.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 $75.9

$71.4 ₡32.2K

6.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.27 $49.27

$35.44 ₡16.0K

39.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 $10.04

$7.84 ₡3,535

28.06%

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

$996 $996

$490 ₡220.7K

103.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.0K $28.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

135.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.05 $25.05

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-53.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.18 $25.18

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-54.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.40 $49.40

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-37.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 $59.7

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 $1,117

$786 ₡354.3K

42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 $871

$780 ₡351.6K

11.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,020 $2,020

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 $1,727

$1,407 ₡634.4K

22.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,755 $2,755

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-60.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,795 $2,795

$1,201 ₡541.3K

132.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,308 $3,308

$876 ₡395.0K

277.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Alexandria, MN: 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

Alexandria, MN

$871 40.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 10.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, MN

$358 16.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 2.4% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, MN

$347 16.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 48.2% $167

Eating Out

Alexandria, MN

$272 12.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 23.1% $63

Getting Around

Alexandria, MN

$133 * 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, MN

$96 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 9.2% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, MN

$72 3.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 67.9% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,117 in Alexandria, MN and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, MN pays 277% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Alexandria, MN vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h behind Alexandria, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria, MN Nosara 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, MN
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

Alexandria, MN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Alexandria, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 277% higher in Alexandria, MN, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,117 in Alexandria, MN versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $996 in Alexandria, MN versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Alexandria, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,122 in Alexandria, MN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alexandria, MN and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Alexandria, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.