Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bend, OR and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,109 in Bend, OR, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Bend, OR
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Bend, OR Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bend, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$3,109

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,109 in Bend, OR versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Bend, OR $3,109
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,348 in Bend, OR versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Bend, OR $4,348
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,587 in Bend, OR versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Bend, OR $5,587
Nosara $3,818

Living in Bend, OR is roughly 69% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bend, OR 130% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.08 $21.08

$12.35 ₡5,539

70.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 $88.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

45.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$7.52 ₡3,373

35.51%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$4.41 ₡1,978

25.85%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.74 ₡780

45.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.31 ₡587

41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.67 $6.67

$3.28 ₡1,471

103.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$4.47 ₡2,004

83.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.56 ₡701

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.02 ₡1,355

9.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.51 ₡1,125

79.68%

Eggs

$3.58 $3.58

$3.57 ₡1,603

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.78 $18.78

$7.43 ₡3,333

152.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$10.52 ₡4,717

4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.28 $26.28

$13.97 ₡6,265

88.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.35 ₡1,052

159.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.61 ₡720

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$4.80 ₡2,152

33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.61 ₡724

229.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.69 ₡1,657

-10.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.13 ₡507

146.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.66 ₡1,191

34.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 $11.10

$5.18 ₡2,321

114.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.80 $15.80

$19.88 ₡8,916

-20.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.63 ₡1,626

42.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡504

80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.12 $44.12

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.14 ₡958

90.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.57 ₡703

61.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.88 $45.88

$8.52 ₡3,823

438.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.52 ₡682

-15.13%

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

$33.4K $33.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

54.52%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-33.02%

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

$198 $198

$96.3 ₡43.2K

105.64%

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

$78.3 $78.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

118.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.4 $87.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

63.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.35 $49.35

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-31.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.68 $40.68

$34.91 ₡15.7K

16.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$7.89 ₡3,539

84.03%

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

$1,141 $1,141

$494 ₡221.6K

130.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.3K $32.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

172.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 $62.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

15.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.5 $71.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

29.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

17.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$79.6 ₡35.7K

51.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$788 ₡353.4K

165.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$794 ₡356.2K

105.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,676 $3,676

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-6.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 $2,243

$1,419 ₡636.5K

58.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,164 $7,164

$6,912 ₡3.1M

3.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 $3,999

$1,224 ₡549.0K

226.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,680 $4,680

$864 ₡387.3K

441.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

8.62

-21.35%

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

Last update for Bend, OR: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bend, OR

$1.6K 52.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 51.3% $838

Groceries & Markets

Bend, OR

$477 15.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 26.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bend, OR

$364 11.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.9% $178

Eating Out

Bend, OR

$333 10.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Bend, OR

$156 5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bend, OR

$78 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.5% $9

Getting Around

Bend, OR

$69 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 26.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Bend, OR and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bend, OR pays 442% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Bend, OR vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bend, OR

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h ahead of Bend, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,823

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

Bend, OR Nosara 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bend, OR
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

Bend, OR vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bend, OR and Nosara differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($3,109 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 442% higher in Bend, OR, 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: $2,093 in Bend, OR versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 65% less than in Bend, OR. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,141 in Bend, OR versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $3,109 in Bend, OR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bend, OR. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Bend, OR 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 69% less than in Bend, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.