Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bozeman, MT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $3,137 in Bozeman, MT, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Bozeman, MT
Learn more

Bozeman, MT Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Bozeman, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,137

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,137 per month in Bozeman, MT vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Bozeman, MT $3,137
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $4,442 per month in Bozeman, MT vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Bozeman, MT $4,442
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $5,747 per month in Bozeman, MT vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Bozeman, MT $5,747
Nosara $3,790

Bozeman, MT costs about 70% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bozeman, MT and Nosara sit above the global median – Bozeman, MT by 132%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.12 $17.12

$12.38 ₡5,568

38.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

23.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.09 $15.09

$7.81 ₡3,513

93.21%

Cappuccino

$4.38 $4.38

$4.37 ₡1,966

0.23%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.78 ₡800

70.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.35 ₡605

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.39 ₡1,526

105.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.31 ₡1,939

66.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡699

-32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.17 ₡1,425

5.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$2.51 ₡1,130

187.25%

Eggs

$6.22 $6.22

$3.53 ₡1,585

76.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.70 $24.70

$7.37 ₡3,313

235.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$10.46 ₡4,703

-3.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$13.91 ₡6,255

34.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.26 ₡1,018

95.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.56 ₡701

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.70 ₡2,113

-12.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$1.62 ₡729

138.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$3.88 ₡1,746

-51.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.79 ₡1,704

-43.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.07 ₡481

118.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.61 ₡1,174

-19.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$5.16 ₡2,319

91.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$20.33 ₡9,143

-24.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.91 ₡1,310

-38.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.67 ₡1,651

14.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.19 ₡984

10.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.84 ₡829

-24.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.1 $61.1

$7.81 ₡3,513

682.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.56 ₡702

-33.33%

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

$32.2K $32.2K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-3.63%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-36.28%

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

$171 $171

$95.9 ₡43.1K

78.82%

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

$51.1 $51.1

$35.37 ₡15.9K

44.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$53.7 ₡24.1K

26.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.5 $64.5

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.50 $26.50

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-25.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 $13.31

$7.72 ₡3,473

72.41%

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

$1,214 $1,214

$496 ₡222.8K

144.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K $14.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

24.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$54.6 ₡24.6K

0.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.86 $32.86

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-40.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 $97.9

$79.8 ₡35.9K

22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.55 $49.55

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 $2,507

$817 ₡367.5K

206.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$800 ₡359.7K

137.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,806 $3,806

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-2.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 $2,961

$1,396 ₡627.6K

112.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,745 $5,745

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-17.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,621 $4,621

$1,222 ₡549.6K

278.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,134 $4,134

$879 ₡395.3K

370.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Bozeman, MT: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bozeman, MT

$1.9K 60.5%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 57.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bozeman, MT

$437 13.9%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 19.3% $84

Eating Out

Bozeman, MT

$306 9.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bozeman, MT

$291 9.3%

Nosara

$185 10% 36.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Bozeman, MT

$106 3.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bozeman, MT

$91 2.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 9% $8.2

Getting Around

Bozeman, MT

$9.4 * 0.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 857% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,507 in Bozeman, MT versus $817 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 in Bozeman, MT are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Bozeman, MT versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bozeman, MT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

1 h ahead of Bozeman, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,293

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bozeman, MT Nosara 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bozeman, MT
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

Bozeman, MT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bozeman, MT is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,706 per month in Bozeman, MT and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $2,507 in Bozeman, MT.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Bozeman, MT and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Bozeman, MT, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,844, than in Bozeman, MT at $3,137. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bozeman, MT 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bozeman, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.