Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aspen, CO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $5,225 in Aspen, CO, rent and utilities included – about $40,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

247

Cost of Living Index in Aspen, CO
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Aspen, CO Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Aspen, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$5,225

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,225 per month in Aspen, CO vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Aspen, CO $5,225
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $7,574 per month in Aspen, CO vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Aspen, CO $7,574
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $9,923 per month in Aspen, CO vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Aspen, CO $9,923
Nosara $3,790

Aspen, CO costs about 183% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aspen, CO and Nosara sit above the global median – Aspen, CO by 286%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 $19.89

$12.38 ₡5,568

60.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$60.6 ₡27.2K

30.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 $11.15

$7.81 ₡3,513

42.77%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$4.37 ₡1,966

27.69%

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

$3.69 $3.69

$1.78 ₡800

107.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.35 ₡605

109.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.39 ₡1,526

101.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$4.31 ₡1,939

81.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.55 ₡699

-23.87%

White Bread (500g)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.17 ₡1,425

70.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.51 ₡1,130

160.96%

Eggs

$5.51 $5.51

$3.53 ₡1,585

56.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.66 $11.66

$7.37 ₡3,313

58.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.20 $11.20

$10.46 ₡4,703

7.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.52 $17.52

$13.91 ₡6,255

25.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.26 ₡1,018

157.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.56 ₡701

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.70 ₡2,113

28.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$1.62 ₡729

288.89%

Potato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.88 ₡1,746

3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.79 ₡1,704

0.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.07 ₡481

214.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.61 ₡1,174

5.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 $10.14

$5.16 ₡2,319

96.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.02 $17.02

$20.33 ₡9,143

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.91 ₡1,310

-35.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.67 ₡1,651

37.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 $88.2

$73.2 ₡32.9K

20.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.19 ₡984

13.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.84 ₡829

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.25 $24.25

$7.81 ₡3,513

210.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.56 ₡702

-37.18%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-16.05%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-30.35%

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

$148 $148

$95.9 ₡43.1K

54.69%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$35.37 ₡15.9K

100.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$53.7 ₡24.1K

37.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$136 $136

$67.5 ₡30.3K

102.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$18.73 $18.73

$7.72 ₡3,473

142.62%

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

$1,897 $1,897

$496 ₡222.8K

282.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.0K $33.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

177.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 $70.0

$54.6 ₡24.6K

28.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 $49.26

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-10.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 $90.4

$79.8 ₡35.9K

13.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$77.9 ₡35.0K

83.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,080 $4,080

$817 ₡367.5K

399.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,696 $3,696

$800 ₡359.7K

361.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,935 $7,935

$3,889 ₡1.7M

104.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,522 $6,522

$1,396 ₡627.6K

367.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$6,977 ₡3.1M

52.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,503 $7,503

$1,222 ₡549.6K

513.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,032 $5,032

$879 ₡395.3K

472.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Aspen, CO: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aspen, CO

$3.7K 70.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 78.4% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Aspen, CO

$471 9%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 25.1% $118

Eating Out

Aspen, CO

$335 6.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 36.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aspen, CO

$293 5.6%

Nosara

$185 10% 36.9% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Aspen, CO

$174 3.3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 52.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Aspen, CO

$159 3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.1% $38

Getting Around

Aspen, CO

$98 * 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 7.9% $7.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,080 in Aspen, CO versus $817 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 in Aspen, CO are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Aspen, CO versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $471 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aspen, CO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h ahead of Aspen, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Aspen, CO Nosara 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Aspen, CO
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

Aspen, CO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aspen, CO costs about 183% 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 $7,838 per month in Aspen, CO and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $4,080 in Aspen, CO.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Aspen, CO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Aspen, CO and $61 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 $1,844, than in Aspen, CO at $5,225. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aspen, CO 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.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aspen, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.