Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Champaign, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Champaign, IL vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Champaign, IL $2,161
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Champaign, IL $3,133
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in Champaign, IL vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Champaign, IL $4,106
Nosara $3,818

Champaign, IL costs about 18% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Champaign, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Champaign, IL by 60%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$12.35 ₡5,539

23.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$7.52 ₡3,373

34.44%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$4.41 ₡1,978

9.52%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.74 ₡780

23.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.31 ₡587

32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.28 ₡1,471

69.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 $5.35

$4.47 ₡2,004

19.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 ₡701

-45.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.02 ₡1,355

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.51 ₡1,125

24.70%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$3.57 ₡1,603

8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 $12.19

$7.43 ₡3,333

64.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$10.52 ₡4,717

-43.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$13.97 ₡6,265

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.35 ₡1,052

46.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.61 ₡720

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.61 ₡724

183.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.13 ₡507

95.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.66 ₡1,191

-53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$5.18 ₡2,321

97.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.90 ₡1,300

-25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.63 ₡1,626

12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.12 ₡504

-13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.38 $20.38

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-71.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.14 ₡958

17.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.57 ₡703

1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.52 ₡682

-23.68%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.54%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.56%

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

$240 $240

$96.3 ₡43.2K

149.16%

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

$45.66 $45.66

$35.89 ₡16.1K

27.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

26.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.34 $25.34

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-64.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 $11.85

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-66.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$7.89 ₡3,539

40.56%

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

$993 $993

$494 ₡221.6K

101.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

68.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.98 $48.98

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡34.9K

48.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$79.6 ₡35.7K

53.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$788 ₡353.4K

84.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$794 ₡356.2K

27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 $1,941

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-50.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,419 ₡636.5K

19.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 $1,688

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-75.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$1,224 ₡549.0K

39.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,674 $3,674

$864 ₡387.3K

325.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Champaign, IL

$1K 47%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 21.8% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.4% $167

Groceries & Markets

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.4% $36

Eating Out

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 83.9% $40

Getting Around

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 151% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,453 in Champaign, IL versus $788 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 run about 325% higher in Champaign, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Champaign, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $352 – making Champaign, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h behind Champaign, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,302

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

Champaign, IL Nosara 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Champaign, IL
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

Champaign, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,241 per month in Champaign, IL and $2,758 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Champaign, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Champaign, IL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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