Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, WV and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Charleston, WV and in Nosara: $1,829 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, WV
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Charleston, WV Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Charleston, WV

🇺🇸 United States

$1,829

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,829 in Charleston, WV versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Charleston, WV $1,829
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,694 in Charleston, WV versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Charleston, WV $2,694
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,559 in Charleston, WV versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Charleston, WV $3,559
Nosara $3,818

Living in Charleston, WV costs roughly 1% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charleston, WV 35% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.33 $14.33

$12.35 ₡5,539

16.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 $50.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-18.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.52 ₡3,373

33.91%

Cappuccino

$3.09 $3.09

$4.41 ₡1,978

-29.93%

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

$2.32 $2.32

$1.74 ₡780

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.31 ₡587

40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.28 ₡1,471

-7.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 $6.67

$4.47 ₡2,004

49.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.56 ₡701

-48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.51 ₡1,125

-33.47%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$3.57 ₡1,603

-8.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$7.43 ₡3,333

50.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.52 ₡4,717

17.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 $16.65

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.35 ₡1,052

88.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.61 ₡720

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.61 ₡724

221.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.69 ₡1,657

-22.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.13 ₡507

79.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$19.88 ₡8,916

-48.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.63 ₡1,626

68.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.52 ₡682

-36.84%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.67%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.91%

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

$204 $204

$96.3 ₡43.2K

111.84%

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

$44.92 $44.92

$35.89 ₡16.1K

25.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 $54.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

1.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.39 $30.39

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-57.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 $17.17

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 $12.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

52.60%

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

$543 $543

$494 ₡221.6K

9.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,393 $6,393

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-46.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.37 $39.37

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-27.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.10 $47.10

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-15.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 $68.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-11.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$79.6 ₡35.7K

49.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 $1,017

$788 ₡353.4K

29.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 $790

$794 ₡356.2K

-0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 $1,749

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 $1,330

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-6.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,132 $1,132

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-7.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,589 $3,589

$864 ₡387.3K

315.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.62

-22.74%

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

Last update for Charleston, WV: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charleston, WV

$790 43.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0.6% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Charleston, WV

$331 18.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleston, WV

$303 16.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 38.7% $117

Eating Out

Charleston, WV

$227 12.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 6.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Charleston, WV

$124 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.8% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Charleston, WV

$54 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 60.4% $33

Getting Around

Charleston, WV

- * 0%

Nosara

$87 4.7%

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 $1,017 in Charleston, WV and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, WV pays 316% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Charleston, WV vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $352 per month, with Charleston, WV cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charleston, WV

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

2 h behind Charleston, WV

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,227

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Charleston, WV Nosara 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Charleston, WV
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

Charleston, WV vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charleston, WV is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 316% higher in Charleston, WV, 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: $1,017 in Charleston, WV versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $543 in Charleston, WV 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 Charleston, WV – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,829 in Charleston, WV versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Charleston, WV but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Charleston, WV the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Charleston, WV 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 Charleston, WV gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.