Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, MN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,462 in Austin, MN, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Austin, MN
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Austin, MN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Austin, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,462

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Austin, MN vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Austin, MN $2,462
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Austin, MN vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Austin, MN $3,691
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in Austin, MN vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Austin, MN $4,921
Nosara $3,818

Austin, MN costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Austin, MN and Nosara sit above the global median – Austin, MN by 82%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$12.35 ₡5,539

62.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

62.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$7.52 ₡3,373

62.50%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.41 ₡1,978

14.29%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.74 ₡780

69.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.31 ₡587

51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.28 ₡1,471

55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

$4.47 ₡2,004

29.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.56 ₡701

-46.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.02 ₡1,355

-4.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.51 ₡1,125

-23.90%

Eggs

$2.66 $2.66

$3.57 ₡1,603

-25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$7.43 ₡3,333

29.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$10.52 ₡4,717

-38.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.15 $19.15

$13.97 ₡6,265

37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.35 ₡1,052

120.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.61 ₡720

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.61 ₡724

8.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.80 ₡1,703

-32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.13 ₡507

33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.71 $8.71

$5.18 ₡2,321

68.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-84.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.63 ₡1,626

-16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡504

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.14 ₡958

-5.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.57 ₡703

-19.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.06 $20.06

$8.52 ₡3,823

135.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 ₡682

-37.50%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.03%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.10%

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

$187 $187

$96.3 ₡43.2K

93.81%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

45.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

47.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.93 $35.93

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.30 $15.30

$7.89 ₡3,539

93.92%

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

$1,361 $1,361

$494 ₡221.6K

175.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K $11.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-1.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 $77.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

43.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 $54.0

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-2.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$77.9 ₡34.9K

30.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$79.6 ₡35.7K

106.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 $1,433

$788 ₡353.4K

81.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$794 ₡356.2K

60.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 $2,528

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$1,419 ₡636.5K

52.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,481 $2,481

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-64.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,593 $2,593

$1,224 ₡549.0K

111.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Austin, MN: 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

Austin, MN

$1.3K 51.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 37.6% $480

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, MN

$318 12.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.6% $132

Eating Out

Austin, MN

$314 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.6% $103

Groceries & Markets

Austin, MN

$293 11.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, MN

$179 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, MN

$67 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 31.3% $21

Getting Around

Austin, MN

$16 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 437% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,433 in Austin, MN versus $788 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 $100 in Austin, MN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Austin, MN vs $352 in Nosara – so Austin, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h behind Austin, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Austin, MN Nosara 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, MN
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

Austin, MN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Austin, MN is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,692 per month in Austin, MN and $2,758 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,462 in Austin, MN and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $1,361 per month in Austin, MN and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Austin, MN at $2,462. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, MN 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.

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, Austin, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.