Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centreville, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,973 in Centreville, VA, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Centreville, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,973

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,973 in Centreville, VA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Centreville, VA $3,973
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,800 in Centreville, VA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Centreville, VA $5,800
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,626 in Centreville, VA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Centreville, VA $7,626
Nosara $3,814

Living in Centreville, VA is roughly 116% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Centreville, VA 193% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.19 $24.19

$12.34 ₡5,535

96.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$61.3 ₡27.5K

73.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$7.76 ₡3,481

51.80%

Cappuccino

$6.20 $6.20

$4.44 ₡1,992

39.64%

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

$3.10 $3.10

$1.79 ₡803

73.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.29 ₡580

92.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.24 ₡1,451

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.92 $8.92

$4.43 ₡1,985

101.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.55 ₡696

-12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.08 ₡1,380

43.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.53 ₡1,133

171.94%

Eggs

$5.51 $5.51

$3.45 ₡1,546

59.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$7.32 ₡3,284

199.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$10.24 ₡4,594

67.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.98 $22.98

$14.10 ₡6,326

62.98%

Apples (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.29 ₡1,027

201.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.64 ₡737

16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.79 ₡2,149

2.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$1.64 ₡735

252.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.85 ₡1,727

-16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.75 ₡1,681

2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.09 ₡488

135.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.59 ₡1,160

1.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$5.12 ₡2,295

112.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.97 $15.97

$19.92 ₡8,931

-19.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.80 ₡1,255

2.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.52 ₡1,580

65.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.22 ₡549

270.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$199 $199

$73.9 ₡33.1K

169.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.17 ₡973

82.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.56 ₡698

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 $25.42

$8.67 ₡3,886

193.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.25%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.63%

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

$214 $214

$94.8 ₡42.5K

126.08%

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

$79.7 $79.7

$36.15 ₡16.2K

120.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

47.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.7 $98.7

$73.8 ₡33.1K

33.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.54 $49.54

$35.63 ₡16.0K

39.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.94 $17.94

$7.91 ₡3,548

126.80%

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

$2,034 $2,034

$490 ₡219.9K

314.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K $36.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

205.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$54.8 ₡24.6K

28.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 $62.5

$55.9 ₡25.1K

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$80.4 ₡36.0K

31.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$77.9 ₡34.9K

110.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 $2,766

$801 ₡359.1K

245.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,135 $2,135

$790 ₡354.1K

170.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,010 $4,010

$4,005 ₡1.8M

0.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,440 $3,440

$1,409 ₡632.0K

144.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,814 $3,814

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-46.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,929 $2,929

$1,236 ₡554.3K

137.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,675 $5,675

$887 ₡397.6K

540.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Centreville, VA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centreville, VA

$2.1K 53.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 63% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Centreville, VA

$539 13.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 35.1% $189

Eating Out

Centreville, VA

$384 9.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 44.6% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centreville, VA

$373 9.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.6% $188

Getting Around

Centreville, VA

$227 5.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 61% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Centreville, VA

$181 4.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 33.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Centreville, VA

$135 3.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 33.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,766 in Centreville, VA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centreville, VA pays 540% 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: $106 in Centreville, VA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $539 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Centreville, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

2 h behind Centreville, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Centreville, VA Nosara 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Centreville, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 116% lower than in Centreville, VA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 540% higher in Centreville, 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: $2,766 in Centreville, VA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Centreville, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $106 in Centreville, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $3,973 in Centreville, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Centreville, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Centreville, 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 116% less than in Centreville, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.