Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,568 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,568

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,568 per month in Arlington, VA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,568
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,411 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,411
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $7,255 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,255
Nosara $3,818

Arlington, VA costs about 94% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arlington, VA and Nosara sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.97 $23.97

$12.35 ₡5,539

94.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

61.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$7.52 ₡3,373

44.28%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$4.41 ₡1,978

35.37%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.74 ₡780

77.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.31 ₡587

84.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

142.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

99.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.56 ₡701

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 $4.35

$3.02 ₡1,355

44.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.51 ₡1,125

117.53%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$3.57 ₡1,603

46.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.58 $21.58

$7.43 ₡3,333

190.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$10.52 ₡4,717

51.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.20 $23.20

$13.97 ₡6,265

66.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.35 ₡1,052

142.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.61 ₡720

13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$4.80 ₡2,152

-3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$1.61 ₡724

264.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.80 ₡1,703

-15.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.69 ₡1,657

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.13 ₡507

106.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.66 ₡1,191

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 $10.36

$5.18 ₡2,321

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.94 $16.94

$19.88 ₡8,916

-14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.90 ₡1,300

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.63 ₡1,626

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.12 ₡504

149.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$72.6 ₡32.6K

67.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.14 ₡958

90.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.57 ₡703

-21.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.15 $25.15

$8.52 ₡3,823

195.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 ₡682

-33.55%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

58.74%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.84%

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

$165 $165

$96.3 ₡43.2K

71.48%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

41.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 $70.2

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-1.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 $18.96

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-45.69%

Cinema Ticket

$16.37 $16.37

$7.89 ₡3,539

107.48%

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

$1,612 $1,612

$494 ₡221.6K

226.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

202.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 $55.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

2.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 $62.6

$55.4 ₡24.8K

12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$77.9 ₡34.9K

32.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$79.6 ₡35.7K

102.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 $2,488

$788 ₡353.4K

215.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$794 ₡356.2K

150.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,810 $4,810

$3,939 ₡1.8M

22.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,596 $3,596

$1,419 ₡636.5K

153.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,380 $6,380

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-7.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,983 $4,983

$1,224 ₡549.0K

307.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,625 $6,625

$864 ₡387.3K

667.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, VA

$2K 55.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 60% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$510 14.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 31% $158

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$376 10.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 43.6% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$277 7.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$172 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30.2% $52

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$143 4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 39.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$103 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,488 in Arlington, VA 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 667% higher in Arlington, VA, 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 $99.0 in Arlington, VA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $510 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

2 h behind Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Arlington, VA Nosara 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, VA
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

Arlington, VA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 94% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,352 per month in Arlington, VA 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.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Arlington, VA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Arlington, VA at $3,568. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $3,568 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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