Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butte, MT and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Butte, MT and in Nosara: $1,847 and $1,844 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Butte, MT
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Butte, MT Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Butte, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$1,847

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,847 per month in Butte, MT vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Butte, MT $1,847
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $2,811 per month in Butte, MT vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Butte, MT $2,811
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $3,775 per month in Butte, MT vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Butte, MT $3,775
Nosara $3,790

Butte, MT and Nosara have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Butte, MT and Nosara sit above the global median – Butte, MT by 37%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$12.38 ₡5,577

20.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$60.6 ₡27.3K

-2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 $9.39

$7.81 ₡3,518

20.23%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$4.37 ₡1,969

-2.29%

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

$2.09 $2.09

$1.78 ₡802

17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.35 ₡606

74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.39 ₡1,528

-12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.31 ₡1,942

18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.55 ₡700

-27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.17 ₡1,428

-20.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.51 ₡1,132

92.83%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$3.53 ₡1,587

11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$7.37 ₡3,318

-9.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$10.46 ₡4,710

-29.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$13.91 ₡6,264

37.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.26 ₡1,020

116.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.56 ₡703

-5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$4.70 ₡2,116

-63.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.62 ₡730

35.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$3.88 ₡1,749

-85.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.79 ₡1,706

-42.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.07 ₡482

65.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.61 ₡1,176

-41.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$5.16 ₡2,323

56.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.64 $9.64

$20.33 ₡9,157

-52.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.91 ₡1,312

-32.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.67 ₡1,653

-39.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡589

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡33.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.19 ₡985

122.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.84 ₡831

-64.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 $10.20

$7.81 ₡3,519

30.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.56 ₡703

-30.13%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-2.57%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-36.50%

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

$137 $137

$95.9 ₡43.2K

43.18%

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

$24.89 $24.89

$35.37 ₡15.9K

-29.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$53.7 ₡24.2K

30.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 $10.44

$7.72 ₡3,478

35.23%

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

$1,992 $1,992

$496 ₡223.2K

301.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

46.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$54.6 ₡24.6K

18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 $43.27

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-21.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$79.8 ₡36.0K

30.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$77.9 ₡35.1K

86.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 $1,037

$817 ₡368.0K

26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 $881

$800 ₡360.3K

10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 $1,809

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-53.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$1,396 ₡628.5K

15.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,308 $2,308

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-66.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 $2,251

$1,222 ₡550.4K

84.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,924 $3,924

$879 ₡395.9K

346.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

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

Last update for Butte, MT: November 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butte, MT

$881 47.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 9.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Butte, MT

$302 16.4%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 16.7% $50

Eating Out

Butte, MT

$242 13.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 11.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butte, MT

$232 12.6%

Nosara

$185 10% 20.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Butte, MT

$161 8.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Butte, MT

$21 * 1.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 297% $62

Getting Around

Butte, MT

$8.1 * 0.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 1007% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,037 in Butte, 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 Butte, MT are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Butte, MT versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $353 – making Butte, MT the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Butte, MT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h ahead of Butte, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Butte, MT Nosara 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Butte, 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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,770 per month in Butte, 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 $1,037 in Butte, MT.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Butte, MT – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Butte, MT and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,847 in Butte, MT and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

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