Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrington, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,677 in Barrington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Barrington, IL
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Barrington, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Barrington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Barrington, IL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Barrington, IL $2,677
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,008 per month in Barrington, IL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Barrington, IL $4,008
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,339 per month in Barrington, IL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Barrington, IL $5,339
Nosara $3,814

Barrington, IL costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barrington, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Barrington, IL by 98%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$12.34 ₡5,535

63.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$61.3 ₡27.5K

21.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$7.76 ₡3,481

46.39%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$4.44 ₡1,992

18.02%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.79 ₡803

45.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.29 ₡580

58.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.24 ₡1,451

84.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$4.43 ₡1,985

61.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.55 ₡696

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.08 ₡1,380

23.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.53 ₡1,133

71.15%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$3.45 ₡1,546

23.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$7.32 ₡3,284

108.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$10.24 ₡4,594

8.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 $17.23

$14.10 ₡6,326

22.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.29 ₡1,027

151.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.64 ₡737

20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$4.79 ₡2,149

-4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.64 ₡735

310.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.85 ₡1,727

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.75 ₡1,681

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.09 ₡488

122.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.59 ₡1,160

-11.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 $10.15

$5.12 ₡2,295

98.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.22 $17.22

$19.92 ₡8,931

-13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.80 ₡1,255

-33.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.52 ₡1,580

-2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.22 ₡549

61.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$73.9 ₡33.1K

57.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.17 ₡973

58.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.56 ₡698

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 $33.06

$8.67 ₡3,886

281.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.55 ₡697

-24.52%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.63%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.51%

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

$230 $230

$94.8 ₡42.5K

142.86%

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

$48.44 $48.44

$36.15 ₡16.2K

34.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

11.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 $67.2

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-8.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 $15.27

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-57.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 $14.61

$7.91 ₡3,548

84.70%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$490 ₡219.9K

202.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

131.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-4.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.21 $41.21

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$77.9 ₡34.9K

44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$801 ₡359.1K

100.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 $1,222

$790 ₡354.1K

54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,409 ₡632.0K

53.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,376 $2,376

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-66.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,187 $2,187

$1,236 ₡554.3K

76.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,760 $5,760

$887 ₡397.6K

549.72%

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 Barrington, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrington, IL

$1.2K 45.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 35.4% $433

Groceries & Markets

Barrington, IL

$430 16.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 18.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrington, IL

$338 12.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 45.5% $154

Eating Out

Barrington, IL

$322 12%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.9% $109

Getting Around

Barrington, IL

$136 5.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 34.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Barrington, IL

$133 5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barrington, IL

$96 3.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 7% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Barrington, IL versus $801 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 run about 550% higher in Barrington, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Barrington, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barrington, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

1 h behind Barrington, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,772

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Barrington, IL Nosara 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barrington, IL
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

Barrington, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barrington, IL costs about 46% 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 $4,015 per month in Barrington, IL and $2,753 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.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Barrington, IL and $490 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 $1,835, than in Barrington, IL at $2,677. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barrington, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,677 in Barrington, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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