Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Branson, MO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,056 in Branson, MO, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Branson, MO
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Branson, MO Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Branson, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,056

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,056 per month in Branson, MO vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Branson, MO $2,056
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,975 per month in Branson, MO vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Branson, MO $2,975
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,895 per month in Branson, MO vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Branson, MO $3,895
Nosara $3,818

Branson, MO costs about 12% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Branson, MO and Nosara sit above the global median – Branson, MO by 52%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.17 $20.17

$12.35 ₡5,539

63.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 $10.59

$7.52 ₡3,373

40.82%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

13.83%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$1.74 ₡780

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.31 ₡587

-25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.28 ₡1,471

19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$4.47 ₡2,004

12.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.02 ₡1,355

11.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.51 ₡1,125

22.71%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.57 ₡1,603

15.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$7.43 ₡3,333

6.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$10.52 ₡4,717

-13.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$13.97 ₡6,265

-1.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.35 ₡1,052

87.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.61 ₡720

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$1.61 ₡724

254.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.80 ₡1,703

-43.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.69 ₡1,657

-41.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.13 ₡507

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 $6.84

$5.18 ₡2,321

32.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.06 $13.06

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.63 ₡1,626

-17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.12 ₡504

83.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.14 ₡958

14.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.57 ₡703

-22.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$8.52 ₡3,823

611.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 ₡682

-32.89%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.57%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.44%

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

$106 $106

$96.3 ₡43.2K

10.43%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$35.89 ₡16.1K

80.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.8 $71.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

34.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.22 $44.22

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-38.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.88 $11.88

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-65.97%

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$7.89 ₡3,539

89.10%

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

$798 $798

$494 ₡221.6K

61.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

79.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.55 $30.55

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-43.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.14 $43.14

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 $74.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$79.6 ₡35.7K

85.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 $1,056

$788 ₡353.4K

33.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$794 ₡356.2K

20.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 $1,664

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-57.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 $1,414

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-0.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Branson, MO: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Branson, MO

$958 46.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 17.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Branson, MO

$338 16.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 4.4% $15

Eating Out

Branson, MO

$293 14.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 27.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Branson, MO

$243 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 23.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Branson, MO

$133 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Branson, MO

$74 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18% $13

Getting Around

Branson, MO

$17 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 420% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Branson, MO versus $788 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 $61.0 in Branson, MO versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $352 – making Branson, MO the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Branson, MO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h behind Branson, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,746

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

Branson, MO Nosara 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Branson, MO
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

Branson, MO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,056 in Branson, MO, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,083 per month in Branson, MO and $2,758 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Branson, MO and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Branson, MO – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Branson, MO at $2,056. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Branson, MO 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,056 in Branson, MO. 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, Branson, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.