Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Augusta, ME $2,388
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in Augusta, ME versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Augusta, ME $3,317
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,246 in Augusta, ME versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Augusta, ME $4,246
Nosara $3,820

Living in Augusta, ME is roughly 29% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Augusta, ME 75% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$12.36 ₡5,575

61.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 $53.1

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-12.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$7.88 ₡3,557

31.85%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$4.40 ₡1,986

22.73%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.72 ₡776

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.34 ₡603

18.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.34 ₡1,505

50.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.54 ₡2,048

70.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.64 ₡739

-30.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.16 ₡1,426

44.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.39 ₡1,080

-39.33%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.47 ₡1,564

14.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$7.13 ₡3,217

111.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$10.32 ₡4,655

36.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$13.97 ₡6,302

39.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$2.29 ₡1,031

226.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.62 ₡731

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.81 ₡2,169

-35.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.68 ₡758

173.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.91 ₡1,765

-40.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.63 ₡1,640

-21.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.13 ₡509

84.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.63 ₡1,188

-31.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$5.02 ₡2,267

138.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$19.71 ₡8,893

-34.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.91 ₡1,314

-46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$3.54 ₡1,597

-56.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.15 ₡969

18.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.63 ₡738

-22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

$8.77 ₡3,958

225.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡700

-41.94%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-12.72%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-36.92%

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

$243 $243

$95.2 ₡43.0K

155.17%

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

$45.59 $45.59

$36.29 ₡16.4K

25.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$52.0 ₡23.5K

17.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.60 $22.60

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-66.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.54 ₡3,404

87.40%

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

$2,656 $2,656

$496 ₡224.0K

434.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

210.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 $73.5

$55.1 ₡24.9K

33.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-9.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$77.8 ₡35.1K

45.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$79.1 ₡35.7K

95.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$817 ₡368.9K

46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$806 ₡363.6K

33.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-59.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$1,429 ₡644.9K

3.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-66.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$1,197 ₡540.1K

98.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 $1,948

$888 ₡400.7K

119.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

8.62

-26.91%

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

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 25.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3%

Nosara

$351 19% 15% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 47.5% $166

Eating Out

Augusta, ME

$312 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 31.5% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 31.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 62.6% $32

Getting Around

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 900% $80

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 $1,200 in Augusta, ME and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53 in Augusta, ME vs $61 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $413 vs $351, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

2 h behind Augusta, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Augusta, ME Nosara 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, ME
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

Augusta, ME vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Augusta, ME and Nosara differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,388 vs $1,846 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Augusta, ME is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,200 in Augusta, ME versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,656 in Augusta, ME versus $496 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $61 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.