Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baraboo, WI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,376 in Baraboo, WI, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Baraboo, WI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Baraboo, WI
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Baraboo, WI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Baraboo, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,376

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Baraboo, WI versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Baraboo, WI $2,376
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,386 in Baraboo, WI versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Baraboo, WI $3,386
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,395 in Baraboo, WI versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Baraboo, WI $4,395
Nosara $3,814

Living in Baraboo, WI is roughly 29% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Baraboo, WI 75% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.14 $14.14

$12.34 ₡5,535

14.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.27 $40.27

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-34.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.76 ₡3,481

55.93%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$4.44 ₡1,992

9.91%

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

$1.47 $1.47

$1.79 ₡803

-17.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.29 ₡580

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.24 ₡1,451

55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$4.43 ₡1,985

-22.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.55 ₡696

-49.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.08 ₡1,380

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.53 ₡1,133

15.81%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$3.45 ₡1,546

-14.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$7.32 ₡3,284

8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.50 $11.50

$10.24 ₡4,594

12.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 $10.56

$14.10 ₡6,326

-25.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.29 ₡1,027

75.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.64 ₡737

-23.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$4.79 ₡2,149

-25.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.64 ₡735

232.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.85 ₡1,727

-55.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.75 ₡1,681

-14.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.09 ₡488

55.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.59 ₡1,160

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.13 $12.13

$5.12 ₡2,295

136.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$19.92 ₡8,931

-59.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.80 ₡1,255

-39.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.52 ₡1,580

-3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.22 ₡549

41.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.17 ₡973

37.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.56 ₡698

3.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.75 $26.75

$8.67 ₡3,886

208.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡697

-32.90%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.72%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.91%

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

$172 $172

$94.8 ₡42.5K

81.17%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$36.15 ₡16.2K

45.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 $51.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.57 $41.57

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$7.91 ₡3,548

46.27%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$490 ₡219.9K

207.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

76.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$54.8 ₡24.6K

2.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.90 $42.90

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-23.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 $89.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 $128

$77.9 ₡34.9K

64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$801 ₡359.1K

101.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$790 ₡354.1K

65.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,474 $2,474

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-38.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 $2,173

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-69.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,193 $2,193

$1,236 ₡554.3K

77.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

8.62

-25.41%

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

Last update for Baraboo, WI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baraboo, WI

$1.3K 55%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.6% $517

Groceries & Markets

Baraboo, WI

$316 13.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 10.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baraboo, WI

$276 11.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 33.3% $92

Eating Out

Baraboo, WI

$252 10.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 15.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Baraboo, WI

$142 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 15.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Baraboo, WI

$65 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 38.5% $25

Getting Around

Baraboo, WI

$18 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 394% $71

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 $1,613 in Baraboo, WI and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Baraboo, WI vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $350 per month, with Baraboo, WI cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baraboo, WI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

1 h behind Baraboo, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,556

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Baraboo, WI Nosara 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Baraboo, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Baraboo, WI. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,564 in Baraboo, WI and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,613 in Baraboo, WI versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Baraboo, WI pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Baraboo, WI versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,376 in Baraboo, WI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Baraboo, WI. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baraboo, WI 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Baraboo, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.