Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Nosara $3,712

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 27% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$12.22 ₡5,509

60.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

31.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$7.54 ₡3,399

56.50%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.31 ₡1,941

26.68%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.72 ₡773

72.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.35 ₡608

28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.24 ₡1,459

56.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.48 ₡2,018

29.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.57 ₡707

-42.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.17 ₡1,429

-8.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.42 ₡1,091

35.12%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.57 ₡1,609

10.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$7.43 ₡3,349

29.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$10.42 ₡4,697

-16.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.66 ₡6,156

9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.32 ₡1,044

125.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.61 ₡728

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.74 ₡2,138

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.66 ₡747

121.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.72 ₡1,679

-40.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.57 ₡1,611

-6.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.10 ₡497

70.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.55 ₡1,149

3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.95 ₡2,232

77.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$20.01 ₡9,020

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.79 ₡1,256

-39.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.53 ₡1,589

-30.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.24 ₡1,011

-8.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.55 ₡701

-18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$8.86 ₡3,993

122.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.57 ₡708

-36.94%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

63.62%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.71%

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

$159 $159

$93.5 ₡42.1K

70.54%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

24.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$71.4 ₡32.2K

3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$7.84 ₡3,535

90.69%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$490 ₡220.7K

125.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-37.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$79.3 ₡35.7K

13.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$78.9 ₡35.6K

47.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$786 ₡354.3K

41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$780 ₡351.6K

46.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-48.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,407 ₡634.4K

13.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$876 ₡395.0K

503.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

8.62

-26.10%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Nosara

$780 43% 31.6% $361

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1% $3.5

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 34.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 7.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 16.2% $17

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 933% $78

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 $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 504% 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: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

1 h behind Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Nosara 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and Nosara differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 504% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Ankeny, IA 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 27% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.