Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Appleton, WI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,097 in Appleton, WI, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Appleton, WI
Learn more

Appleton, WI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Appleton, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,097

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,097 per month in Appleton, WI vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Appleton, WI $2,097
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,238 per month in Appleton, WI vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Appleton, WI $3,238
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,380 per month in Appleton, WI vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Appleton, WI $4,380
Nosara $3,712

Appleton, WI costs about 14% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Appleton, WI and Nosara sit above the global median – Appleton, WI by 56%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 $17.91

$12.22 ₡5,509

46.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 $66.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 $11.11

$7.54 ₡3,399

47.35%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$4.31 ₡1,941

21.35%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.72 ₡773

52.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.35 ₡608

68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.24 ₡1,459

42.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 $6.20

$4.48 ₡2,018

38.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.57 ₡707

-37.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.17 ₡1,429

-5.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.42 ₡1,091

112.81%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$3.57 ₡1,609

31.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$7.43 ₡3,349

93.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 $8.43

$10.42 ₡4,697

-19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$13.66 ₡6,156

12.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.32 ₡1,044

116.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.61 ₡728

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.74 ₡2,138

-34.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.66 ₡747

160.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.72 ₡1,679

-44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.57 ₡1,611

-22.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.10 ₡497

98.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.55 ₡1,149

22.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 $10.86

$4.95 ₡2,232

119.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.79 ₡1,256

-39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.53 ₡1,589

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.24 ₡1,011

46.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.55 ₡701

-8.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.47 $24.47

$8.86 ₡3,993

176.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.57 ₡708

-35.03%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

66.48%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.66%

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

$176 $176

$93.5 ₡42.1K

88.64%

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

$44.67 $44.67

$35.11 ₡15.8K

27.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$51.5 ₡23.2K

17.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.78 $23.78

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-66.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.09 $41.09

$35.44 ₡16.0K

15.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 $14.48

$7.84 ₡3,535

84.69%

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

$1,512 $1,512

$490 ₡220.7K

208.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

162.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 $39.33

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-26.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.09 $25.09

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-55.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 $50.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-35.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$78.9 ₡35.6K

37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$786 ₡354.3K

90.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 $1,017

$780 ₡351.6K

30.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-53.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 $1,910

$1,407 ₡634.4K

35.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-66.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,268 $2,268

$1,201 ₡541.3K

88.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,011 $4,011

$876 ₡395.0K

357.77%

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 Appleton, WI: 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

Appleton, WI

$1K 47.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 23.3% $237

Groceries & Markets

Appleton, WI

$381 17.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 8.3% $31

Eating Out

Appleton, WI

$294 13.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 28.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Appleton, WI

$282 13.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 36% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Appleton, WI

$101 4.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 19.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Appleton, WI

$53 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 65.1% $34

Getting Around

Appleton, WI

$10 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 734% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,501 in Appleton, WI versus $786 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 358% higher in Appleton, WI, 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 $66.0 in Appleton, WI versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Appleton, WI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

21:07 9:07 PM

1 h behind Appleton, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,139

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Appleton, WI Nosara 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Appleton, WI
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

Appleton, WI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Appleton, WI is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,145 per month in Appleton, WI and $2,756 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Appleton, WI and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Appleton, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Appleton, WI at $2,097. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Appleton, WI 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, Appleton, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.