Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blacksburg, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,139 in Blacksburg, VA, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Blacksburg, VA
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Blacksburg, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Blacksburg, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,139

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,139 per month in Blacksburg, VA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Blacksburg, VA $2,139
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,219 per month in Blacksburg, VA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Blacksburg, VA $3,219
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,299 per month in Blacksburg, VA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Blacksburg, VA $4,299
Nosara $3,712

Blacksburg, VA costs about 16% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Blacksburg, VA and Nosara sit above the global median – Blacksburg, VA by 60%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.23 $17.23

$12.22 ₡5,509

41.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 $64.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.64 $8.64

$7.54 ₡3,399

14.59%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$4.31 ₡1,941

16.47%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.72 ₡773

44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.35 ₡608

40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.24 ₡1,459

84.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$4.48 ₡2,018

74.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.57 ₡707

-35.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.17 ₡1,429

11.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.42 ₡1,091

73.55%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$3.57 ₡1,609

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.49 $16.49

$7.43 ₡3,349

121.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$10.42 ₡4,697

8.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$13.66 ₡6,156

-48.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.32 ₡1,044

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.61 ₡728

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.74 ₡2,138

-11.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.66 ₡747

186.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$3.72 ₡1,679

-36.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.57 ₡1,611

-39.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.10 ₡497

78.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.55 ₡1,149

-19.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 $7.74

$4.95 ₡2,232

56.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.79 ₡1,256

-37.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.53 ₡1,589

28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.24 ₡1,011

104.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.55 ₡701

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 $12.19

$8.86 ₡3,993

37.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.57 ₡708

-43.95%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

15.32%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-31.07%

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

$151 $151

$93.5 ₡42.1K

61.88%

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

$32.88 $32.88

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-6.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.8 $98.8

$51.5 ₡23.2K

91.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 $39.54

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-44.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 $10.12

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-71.44%

Cinema Ticket

$13.01 $13.01

$7.84 ₡3,535

65.94%

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

$868 $868

$490 ₡220.7K

77.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$52.9K $52.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

345.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.53 $30.53

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-42.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 $30.09

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-46.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 $61.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.6 $75.6

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-4.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$786 ₡354.3K

65.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 $1,068

$780 ₡351.6K

36.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,267 $2,267

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-41.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,969 $1,969

$1,407 ₡634.4K

39.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,062 $2,062

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-70.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,088 $2,088

$1,201 ₡541.3K

73.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,127 $4,127

$876 ₡395.0K

370.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

8.62

-28.07%

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

Last update for Blacksburg, VA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Blacksburg, VA

$1.1K 49%

Nosara

$780 43% 27% $288

Groceries & Markets

Blacksburg, VA

$368 16.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 5.1% $19

Eating Out

Blacksburg, VA

$287 13.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 27% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blacksburg, VA

$283 13%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 36.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Blacksburg, VA

$89 4.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 35.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Blacksburg, VA

$66 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Blacksburg, VA

$20 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 333% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Blacksburg, VA versus $786 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 371% higher in Blacksburg, VA, 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 $64.0 in Blacksburg, VA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Blacksburg, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

2 h behind Blacksburg, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,826

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Blacksburg, VA Nosara 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Blacksburg, VA
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

Blacksburg, VA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,139 in Blacksburg, VA, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,209 per month in Blacksburg, VA and $2,756 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 $2,139 in Blacksburg, VA and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 16%.

Kindergarten costs $868 per month in Blacksburg, VA 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 $1,837, than in Blacksburg, VA at $2,139. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Blacksburg, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,139 in Blacksburg, VA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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