Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, OH and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens, OH: $1,644 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Athens, OH
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Athens, OH Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,644

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,644 in Athens, OH versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Athens, OH $1,644
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Athens, OH versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Athens, OH $2,493
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,342 in Athens, OH versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Athens, OH $3,342
Nosara $3,818

Living in Athens, OH costs roughly 11% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens, OH 22% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.15 $15.15

$12.35 ₡5,539

22.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.45 $49.45

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 $9.80

$7.52 ₡3,373

30.32%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$4.41 ₡1,978

14.06%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$1.74 ₡780

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.31 ₡587

10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.28 ₡1,471

52.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$4.47 ₡2,004

61.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.56 ₡701

-52.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 $2.11

$3.02 ₡1,355

-30.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.51 ₡1,125

19.12%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.43 ₡3,333

75.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$10.52 ₡4,717

-15.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$13.97 ₡6,265

13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.61 ₡720

-40.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$4.80 ₡2,152

-42.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.61 ₡724

92.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.69 ₡1,657

-42.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.13 ₡507

45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.66 ₡1,191

-27.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.97 $8.97

$5.18 ₡2,321

73.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.90 ₡1,300

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.63 ₡1,626

-17.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.12 ₡504

-9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.14 ₡958

78.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.57 ₡703

-21.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.28 $25.28

$8.52 ₡3,823

196.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.52 ₡682

-41.45%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.34%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.37%

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

$148 $148

$96.3 ₡43.2K

53.39%

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

$30.29 $30.29

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-15.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.65 $47.65

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-11.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 $11.84

$7.89 ₡3,539

50.06%

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

$1,453 $1,453

$494 ₡221.6K

193.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K $19.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

66.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.49 $45.49

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.13 $45.13

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.9 $63.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-18.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$79.6 ₡35.7K

34.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$788 ₡353.4K

62.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 $674

$794 ₡356.2K

-15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-62.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 $1,228

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-13.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,674 $1,674

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-75.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,664 $1,664

$1,224 ₡549.0K

35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,467 $3,467

$864 ₡387.3K

301.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Athens, OH: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens, OH

$674 41%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 17.9% $121

Groceries & Markets

Athens, OH

$324 19.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.7% $28

Eating Out

Athens, OH

$265 16.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, OH

$226 13.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, OH

$118 7.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 269% $64

Getting Around

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 522% $73

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 $1,282 in Athens, OH and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays 301% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Athens, OH vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $352 per month, with Athens, OH cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

2 h behind Athens, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

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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Highest

Between locations

Athens, OH Nosara 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens, OH
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

Athens, OH vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens, OH is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 301% higher in Athens, OH, 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: $1,282 in Athens, OH versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,644 per month in Athens, OH versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,644 in Athens, OH versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Athens, OH but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Athens, OH the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Athens, OH is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Athens, OH 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 Athens, OH gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.