Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashland, WI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,514 in Ashland, WI, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ashland, WI
Learn more

Ashland, WI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ashland, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,514

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,514 per month in Ashland, WI vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Ashland, WI $2,514
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,751 per month in Ashland, WI vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Ashland, WI $3,751
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,988 per month in Ashland, WI vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Ashland, WI $4,988
Nosara $3,814

Ashland, WI costs about 37% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ashland, WI and Nosara sit above the global median – Ashland, WI by 86%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.40 $15.40

$12.34 ₡5,535

24.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 $67.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

10.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 $9.99

$7.76 ₡3,481

28.74%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$4.44 ₡1,992

17.34%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.79 ₡803

68.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.29 ₡580

103.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.24 ₡1,451

82.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 $7.67

$4.43 ₡1,985

73.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡696

-41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.08 ₡1,380

28.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.53 ₡1,133

37.55%

Eggs

$3.07 $3.07

$3.45 ₡1,546

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.32 ₡3,284

34.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$10.24 ₡4,594

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 $13.52

$14.10 ₡6,326

-4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.29 ₡1,027

111.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.64 ₡737

-32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$4.79 ₡2,149

29.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$1.64 ₡735

205.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.85 ₡1,727

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.75 ₡1,681

-6.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.09 ₡488

81.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.59 ₡1,160

-32.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 $12.99

$5.12 ₡2,295

153.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 $14.59

$19.92 ₡8,931

-26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.80 ₡1,255

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.52 ₡1,580

1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.22 ₡549

44.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.17 ₡973

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.56 ₡698

-3.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.58 $30.58

$8.67 ₡3,886

252.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 ₡697

-33.55%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.03%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.93%

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

$232 $232

$94.8 ₡42.5K

145.04%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$36.15 ₡16.2K

41.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 $64.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

21.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 $41.22

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 $12.94

$7.91 ₡3,548

63.59%

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

$1,451 $1,451

$490 ₡219.9K

195.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K $27.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

131.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 $42.18

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-23.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 $40.12

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

$801 ₡359.1K

124.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 $1,310

$790 ₡354.1K

65.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,314 $2,314

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-42.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,404 $2,404

$1,409 ₡632.0K

70.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,475 $2,475

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-64.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,236 ₡554.3K

72.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Ashland, WI: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashland, WI

$1.3K 52.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.7% $520

Groceries & Markets

Ashland, WI

$365 14.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 4.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashland, WI

$348 13.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 47.1% $164

Eating Out

Ashland, WI

$283 11.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 24.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Ashland, WI

$123 4.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 1.5% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ashland, WI

$67 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 33.5% $23

Getting Around

Ashland, WI

$17 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 419% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,802 in Ashland, WI versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashland, WI versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashland, WI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Ashland, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,684

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashland, WI Nosara 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashland, 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

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

Ashland, WI costs about 37% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,771 per month in Ashland, WI and $2,753 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 $68.0 in Ashland, WI and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Ashland, 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 $1,835, than in Ashland, WI at $2,514. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashland, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,514 in Ashland, WI. 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, Ashland, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.