Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brunswick, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,646 in Brunswick, ME, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Brunswick, ME
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Brunswick, ME Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brunswick, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,646

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,646 in Brunswick, ME versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Brunswick, ME $2,646
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,011 in Brunswick, ME versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Brunswick, ME $4,011
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,375 in Brunswick, ME versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Brunswick, ME $5,375
Nosara $3,818

Living in Brunswick, ME is roughly 44% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brunswick, ME 96% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.69 $24.69

$12.35 ₡5,539

99.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$61.2 ₡27.4K

94.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.97 $14.97

$7.52 ₡3,373

99.07%

Cappuccino

$6.10 $6.10

$4.41 ₡1,978

38.32%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.74 ₡780

75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.31 ₡587

87.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 $7.96

$3.28 ₡1,471

142.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.47 ₡2,004

75.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.56 ₡701

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.02 ₡1,355

7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.51 ₡1,125

38.25%

Eggs

$2.55 $2.55

$3.57 ₡1,603

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$7.43 ₡3,333

74.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 $10.39

$10.52 ₡4,717

-1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.21 $16.21

$13.97 ₡6,265

16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.35 ₡1,052

108.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.61 ₡720

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$4.80 ₡2,152

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$1.61 ₡724

303.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.80 ₡1,703

-11.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.69 ₡1,657

-1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.13 ₡507

123.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.66 ₡1,191

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$5.18 ₡2,321

71.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.07 $13.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.90 ₡1,300

-54.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.63 ₡1,626

-48.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.12 ₡504

60.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.14 ₡958

-7.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.57 ₡703

-3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.87 $10.87

$8.52 ₡3,823

27.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.52 ₡682

-30.92%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.09%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.44%

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

$162 $162

$96.3 ₡43.2K

68.35%

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

$70.3 $70.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

95.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

42.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.77 $44.77

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$7.89 ₡3,539

79.72%

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

$1,227 $1,227

$494 ₡221.6K

148.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

99.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 $51.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.5 $81.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

47.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$79.6 ₡35.7K

70.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$788 ₡353.4K

102.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$794 ₡356.2K

65.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 $2,518

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-36.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,189 $2,189

$1,419 ₡636.5K

54.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,920 $2,920

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-57.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,155 $2,155

$1,224 ₡549.0K

76.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,638 $4,638

$864 ₡387.3K

437.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Brunswick, ME: 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

Brunswick, ME

$1.3K 49.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 39.5% $519

Eating Out

Brunswick, ME

$393 14.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 46.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Brunswick, ME

$375 14.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brunswick, ME

$309 11.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Brunswick, ME

$166 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Brunswick, ME

$73 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 19.5% $14

Getting Around

Brunswick, ME

$17 * 0.6%

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 one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,594 in Brunswick, ME and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brunswick, ME pays 437% 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: $119 in Brunswick, ME vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brunswick, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

00:46 12:46 AM

2 h behind Brunswick, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,287

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

Brunswick, ME Nosara 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brunswick, ME
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

Brunswick, ME vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 437% higher in Brunswick, ME, 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: $1,594 in Brunswick, ME versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,227 in Brunswick, ME versus $494 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 $119 in Brunswick, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,646 in Brunswick, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Brunswick, ME. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brunswick, ME, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Brunswick, ME 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 44% less than in Brunswick, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.