Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,590 in Belfast, ME, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Belfast, ME
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Belfast, ME Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Belfast, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,590

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,590 per month in Belfast, ME vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Belfast, ME $2,590
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,767 per month in Belfast, ME vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Belfast, ME $3,767
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,944 per month in Belfast, ME vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Belfast, ME $4,944
Nosara $3,814

Belfast, ME costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Belfast, ME and Nosara sit above the global median – Belfast, ME by 91%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 $19.87

$12.34 ₡5,535

61.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

22.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 $11.45

$7.76 ₡3,481

47.55%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.44 ₡1,992

22.97%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$1.79 ₡803

50.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.29 ₡580

57.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.24 ₡1,451

80.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 $7.44

$4.43 ₡1,985

67.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡696

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.08 ₡1,380

11.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.53 ₡1,133

69.57%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.45 ₡1,546

20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 $12.79

$7.32 ₡3,284

74.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$10.24 ₡4,594

8.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.30 $17.30

$14.10 ₡6,326

22.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.29 ₡1,027

112.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.64 ₡737

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.79 ₡2,149

-9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.64 ₡735

211.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.85 ₡1,727

-25.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.75 ₡1,681

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.09 ₡488

100.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.59 ₡1,160

-8.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 $9.86

$5.12 ₡2,295

92.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 $15.18

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.80 ₡1,255

-22.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.52 ₡1,580

-7.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.22 ₡549

67.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.17 ₡973

36.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.56 ₡698

10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.84 $28.84

$8.67 ₡3,886

232.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡697

-34.19%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.03%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.48%

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

$197 $197

$94.8 ₡42.5K

107.72%

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

$58.6 $58.6

$36.15 ₡16.2K

61.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

31.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.61 $13.61

$7.91 ₡3,548

72.06%

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

$1,378 $1,378

$490 ₡219.9K

181.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

105.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 $53.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.96 $40.96

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

45.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$801 ₡359.1K

96.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$790 ₡354.1K

67.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 $2,467

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 $2,142

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 $2,692

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,334 $2,334

$1,236 ₡554.3K

88.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Belfast, ME: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belfast, ME

$1.3K 51%

Nosara

$790 43% 40.2% $531

Groceries & Markets

Belfast, ME

$400 15.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belfast, ME

$325 12.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.4% $141

Eating Out

Belfast, ME

$322 12.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Belfast, ME

$133 5.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Belfast, ME

$68 2.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 31.3% $21

Getting Around

Belfast, ME

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 351% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in Belfast, ME 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Belfast, ME versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Belfast, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

2 h behind Belfast, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,800

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Belfast, ME Nosara 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Belfast, 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

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

Yes – Belfast, ME is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,884 per month in Belfast, ME 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,590 in Belfast, ME and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $1,378 per month in Belfast, ME 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 Belfast, ME at $2,590. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belfast, ME 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, Belfast, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.