Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anacortes, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,527 in Anacortes, WA, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Anacortes, WA
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Anacortes, WA Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Anacortes, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,527

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,527 in Anacortes, WA versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Anacortes, WA $2,527
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Anacortes, WA versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Anacortes, WA $3,761
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,995 in Anacortes, WA versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Anacortes, WA $4,995
Nosara $3,820

Living in Anacortes, WA is roughly 37% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Anacortes, WA 86% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 $17.81

$12.36 ₡5,575

44.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$60.8 ₡27.4K

39.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 $13.55

$7.88 ₡3,557

71.95%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.40 ₡1,986

14.55%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.72 ₡776

33.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.34 ₡603

51.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$3.34 ₡1,505

63.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$4.54 ₡2,048

35.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.64 ₡739

-33.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.16 ₡1,426

56.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.39 ₡1,080

-26.78%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$3.47 ₡1,564

17.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 $11.24

$7.13 ₡3,217

57.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.52 $14.52

$10.32 ₡4,655

40.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$13.97 ₡6,302

64.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.29 ₡1,031

163.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.62 ₡731

14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$4.81 ₡2,169

-33.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.68 ₡758

229.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$3.91 ₡1,765

-64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.63 ₡1,640

-12.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.13 ₡509

35.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.63 ₡1,188

-11.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.51 $12.51

$5.02 ₡2,267

149.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 $14.24

$19.71 ₡8,893

-27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.91 ₡1,314

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.54 ₡1,597

19.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.19 $5.19

$1.21 ₡545

328.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 $21.95

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-70.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.15 ₡969

20.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.63 ₡738

2.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.26 $30.26

$8.77 ₡3,958

245.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.55 ₡700

-16.13%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

8.12%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-31.89%

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

$167 $167

$95.2 ₡43.0K

75.79%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$36.29 ₡16.4K

43.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$52.0 ₡23.5K

45.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 $50.2

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 $16.98

$7.54 ₡3,404

125.20%

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

$2,161 $2,161

$496 ₡224.0K

335.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

162.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 $55.1

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.96 $26.96

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-51.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 $95.2

$77.8 ₡35.1K

22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$79.1 ₡35.7K

109.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 $1,760

$817 ₡368.9K

115.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 $1,203

$806 ₡363.6K

49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,958 $2,958

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-25.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 $1,982

$1,429 ₡644.9K

38.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,625 $2,625

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-62.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,197 ₡540.1K

101.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,130 $7,130

$888 ₡400.7K

702.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.67

8.62

-34.22%

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

Last update for Anacortes, WA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Anacortes, WA

$1.2K 47.6%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 33% $397

Groceries & Markets

Anacortes, WA

$437 17.3%

Nosara

$351 19% 19.6% $86

Eating Out

Anacortes, WA

$301 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 29% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anacortes, WA

$295 11.7%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 37.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Anacortes, WA

$154 6.1%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 21.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Anacortes, WA

$84 3.3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 1.8% $1.5

Getting Around

Anacortes, WA

$54 2.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 65.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,760 in Anacortes, WA and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anacortes, WA pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Anacortes, WA vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $437 vs $351 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anacortes, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h ahead of Anacortes, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,637

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Anacortes, WA Nosara 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Anacortes, WA
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

Anacortes, WA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Anacortes, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Anacortes, WA is about 8 times higher, 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: $1,760 in Anacortes, WA versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61 versus $85 in Anacortes, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,527 per month in Anacortes, WA versus $1,846 in Nosara – Nosara is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Anacortes, WA and Nosara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Anacortes, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.