Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chelan, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,685 in Chelan, WA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Chelan, WA
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Chelan, WA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Chelan, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,685

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,685 per month in Chelan, WA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Chelan, WA $2,685
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,965 per month in Chelan, WA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Chelan, WA $3,965
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,245 per month in Chelan, WA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Chelan, WA $5,245
Nosara $3,814

Chelan, WA costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chelan, WA and Nosara sit above the global median – Chelan, WA by 98%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.39 $25.39

$12.34 ₡5,584

105.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.3 ₡27.7K

64.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.76 ₡3,512

89.69%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$4.44 ₡2,009

46.85%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$1.79 ₡810

79.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.29 ₡585

132.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.99 $7.99

$3.24 ₡1,464

146.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 $7.84

$4.43 ₡2,003

76.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.55 ₡702

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.08 ₡1,392

9.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.53 ₡1,143

75.10%

Eggs

$4.95 $4.95

$3.45 ₡1,560

43.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 $10.92

$7.32 ₡3,313

49.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$10.24 ₡4,635

-35.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 $11.16

$14.10 ₡6,382

-20.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.29 ₡1,036

86.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.64 ₡744

13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.79 ₡2,168

-9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.64 ₡742

164.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.85 ₡1,743

-43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.75 ₡1,696

-39.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.09 ₡492

80.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.59 ₡1,170

-3.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 $9.25

$5.12 ₡2,315

80.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$19.92 ₡9,010

-49.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.80 ₡1,266

52.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.52 ₡1,594

44.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.22 ₡554

68.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.2 $60.2

$73.9 ₡33.4K

-18.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.17 ₡982

22.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.56 ₡704

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.33 $30.33

$8.67 ₡3,921

249.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.55 ₡703

-11.61%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-0.17%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.7K ₡17.5M

-32.58%

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

$254 $254

$94.8 ₡42.9K

167.92%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$36.15 ₡16.4K

95.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 $50.4

$53.1 ₡24.0K

-5.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 $46.44

$73.8 ₡33.4K

-37.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$35.63 ₡16.1K

-72.16%

Cinema Ticket

$12.22 $12.22

$7.91 ₡3,579

54.49%

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

$3,059 $3,059

$490 ₡221.8K

523.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

163.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.62 $40.62

$54.8 ₡24.8K

-25.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.47 $25.47

$55.9 ₡25.3K

-54.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 $60.0

$80.4 ₡36.4K

-25.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.6 $99.6

$77.9 ₡35.2K

27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 $1,568

$801 ₡362.3K

95.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$790 ₡357.2K

64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 $2,478

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,409 ₡637.6K

51.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,972 $2,972

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-57.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,236 ₡559.2K

101.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,061 $4,061

$887 ₡401.1K

358.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-30.39%

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

Last update for Chelan, WA: 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

Chelan, WA

$1.3K 48.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.2% $510

Eating Out

Chelan, WA

$406 15.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 47.6% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chelan, WA

$375 14%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.9% $191

Groceries & Markets

Chelan, WA

$353 13.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chelan, WA

$102 3.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.1% $19

Getting Around

Chelan, WA

$79 3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 11.9% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chelan, WA

$71 2.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Chelan, WA versus $801 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 Chelan, WA are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Chelan, WA versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chelan, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h ahead of Chelan, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,200

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.97 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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 452 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 507 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chelan, WA Nosara 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chelan, WA
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

Chelan, WA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chelan, WA costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,028 per month in Chelan, WA and $2,753 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 $801 there versus $1,568 in Chelan, WA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Chelan, WA and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Chelan, WA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,685 in Chelan, WA and $1,835 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chelan, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.