Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,803 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,803 in Arlington, WA versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Arlington, WA $2,803
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,283 in Arlington, WA versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Arlington, WA $4,283
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,763 in Arlington, WA versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Arlington, WA $5,763
Nosara $3,818

Living in Arlington, WA is roughly 52% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, WA 108% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$12.35 ₡5,539

102.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.2 ₡27.4K

64.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.24 $14.24

$7.52 ₡3,373

89.36%

Cappuccino

$5.88 $5.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

33.33%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.74 ₡780

74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.31 ₡587

131.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 $7.16

$3.28 ₡1,471

118.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.47 ₡2,004

52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.56 ₡701

-33.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.02 ₡1,355

21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.51 ₡1,125

66.93%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$7.43 ₡3,333

88.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$10.52 ₡4,717

26.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$13.97 ₡6,265

64.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.35 ₡1,052

125.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.61 ₡720

18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$4.80 ₡2,152

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.61 ₡724

205.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$3.69 ₡1,657

-34.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.13 ₡507

145.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.66 ₡1,191

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.72 $12.72

$5.18 ₡2,321

145.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.63 ₡1,626

20.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.14 ₡958

22.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.57 ₡703

8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$8.52 ₡3,823

249.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.52 ₡682

-10.53%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.99%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.03%

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

$293 $293

$96.3 ₡43.2K

203.93%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$35.89 ₡16.1K

94.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.2 $89.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

66.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.54 $33.54

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$16.84 $16.84

$7.89 ₡3,539

113.43%

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

$2,983 $2,983

$494 ₡221.6K

503.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

160.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$79.6 ₡35.7K

69.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$788 ₡353.4K

93.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$794 ₡356.2K

63.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 $2,826

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-28.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$1,419 ₡636.5K

72.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,858 $5,858

$864 ₡387.3K

578.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

8.62

-21.00%

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

Last update for Arlington, WA: 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, WA

$1.3K 46.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 38.7% $502

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, WA

$452 16.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 58.9% $266

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, WA

$436 15.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 19.3% $84

Eating Out

Arlington, WA

$387 13.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 45.2% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, WA

$153 5.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, WA

$67 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 30% $20

Getting Around

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 681% $76

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 $1,522 in Arlington, WA and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays 578% 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: $101 in Arlington, WA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

1 h ahead of Arlington, WA

🌤 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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, WA Nosara 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, 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

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

Arlington, WA and Nosara differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,803 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 578% higher in Arlington, WA, 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: $1,522 in Arlington, WA versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,803 per month in Arlington, WA versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Arlington, WA. 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, Arlington, WA 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 52% less than in Arlington, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.