Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bristol, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,038 in Bristol, VA, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bristol, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,038

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,038 in Bristol, VA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Bristol, VA $2,038
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,040 in Bristol, VA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Bristol, VA $3,040
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,041 in Bristol, VA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Bristol, VA $4,041
Nosara $3,814

Living in Bristol, VA is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bristol, VA 50% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 $17.76

$12.34 ₡5,535

43.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

4.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$7.76 ₡3,481

39.43%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$4.44 ₡1,992

-9.23%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.79 ₡803

7.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.29 ₡580

36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.24 ₡1,451

41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.43 ₡1,985

33.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡696

-38.06%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.08 ₡1,380

29.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.53 ₡1,133

31.62%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$3.45 ₡1,546

6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$7.32 ₡3,284

121.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$10.24 ₡4,594

55.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 $18.05

$14.10 ₡6,326

28.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.29 ₡1,027

127.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.64 ₡737

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$4.79 ₡2,149

-1.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.64 ₡735

179.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.85 ₡1,727

-0.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.75 ₡1,681

-22.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.09 ₡488

83.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.59 ₡1,160

-9.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 $8.54

$5.12 ₡2,295

66.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$19.92 ₡8,931

-21.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.80 ₡1,255

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.52 ₡1,580

4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.17 ₡973

40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.56 ₡698

22.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.46 $29.46

$8.67 ₡3,886

239.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡697

-42.58%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.15%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-34.43%

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

$171 $171

$94.8 ₡42.5K

80.69%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

86.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

32.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.37 $31.37

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-57.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 $15.98

$7.91 ₡3,548

102.02%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$490 ₡219.9K

198.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

108.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-7.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 $36.93

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-33.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 $65.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 $1,107

$801 ₡359.1K

38.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$790 ₡354.1K

5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 $1,786

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-55.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 $1,389

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-1.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 $1,788

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-74.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,236 ₡554.3K

45.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 $3,025

$887 ₡397.6K

241.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

8.62

-24.83%

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

Last update for Bristol, VA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bristol, VA

$831 40.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 5% $42

Groceries & Markets

Bristol, VA

$440 21.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 20.5% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bristol, VA

$309 15.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 40.5% $125

Eating Out

Bristol, VA

$272 13.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 21.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Bristol, VA

$110 5.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 10.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bristol, VA

$63 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 41.5% $26

Getting Around

Bristol, VA

$13 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 604% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Bristol, VA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol, VA pays 241% 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: $64.0 in Bristol, VA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $440 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bristol, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

2 h behind Bristol, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,141

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bristol, VA Nosara 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bristol, 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

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

Bristol, VA and Nosara differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,038 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 241% higher in Bristol, VA, 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: $1,107 in Bristol, VA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Bristol, VA versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $64.0 in Bristol, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,038 in Bristol, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bristol, VA. 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, Bristol, VA 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 11% less than in Bristol, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.