Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Burlington, IA and in Nosara: $1,769 and $1,835 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Nosara $3,814

Living in Burlington, IA costs roughly 4% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 31% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$12.34 ₡5,535

-8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-3.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$7.76 ₡3,481

13.92%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$4.44 ₡1,992

6.76%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$1.79 ₡803

8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.29 ₡580

56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.24 ₡1,451

5.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.43 ₡1,985

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.55 ₡696

-47.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.08 ₡1,380

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.53 ₡1,133

71.54%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$3.45 ₡1,546

-15.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$7.32 ₡3,284

55.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.24 ₡4,594

16.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$14.10 ₡6,326

0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.29 ₡1,027

75.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.64 ₡737

20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.79 ₡2,149

-3.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.64 ₡735

183.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.85 ₡1,727

-28.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$3.75 ₡1,681

-30.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.09 ₡488

41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.59 ₡1,160

-20.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.12 ₡2,295

59.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$19.92 ₡8,931

-18.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.80 ₡1,255

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.52 ₡1,580

-35.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.22 ₡549

59.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-78.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.17 ₡973

115.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.56 ₡698

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$8.67 ₡3,886

155.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.55 ₡697

-39.35%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.21%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-35.53%

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

$184 $184

$94.8 ₡42.5K

94.16%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$36.15 ₡16.2K

30.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$7.91 ₡3,548

50.70%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$490 ₡219.9K

146.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

11.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-18.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-45.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-51.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$801 ₡359.1K

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$790 ₡354.1K

-10.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-9.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-85.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-16.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$887 ₡397.6K

401.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: 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

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Nosara

$790 43% 11.7% $83

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 4.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 36.6% $106

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 1.7% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 34.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 35.2% $23

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 167% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 401% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

1 h behind Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Burlington, IA Nosara 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burlington, IA wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burlington, IA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 401% higher in Burlington, IA, 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: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burlington, IA but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Burlington, IA the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Burlington, IA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,769 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Burlington, IA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Burlington, IA 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 Burlington, IA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.