Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Clinton, IA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,388 in Clinton, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Clinton, IA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Clinton, IA
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Clinton, IA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Clinton, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,388 per month in Clinton, IA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Clinton, IA $2,388
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,384 per month in Clinton, IA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Clinton, IA $3,384
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,379 per month in Clinton, IA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Clinton, IA $4,379
Nosara $3,814

Clinton, IA costs about 30% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Clinton, IA and Nosara sit above the global median – Clinton, IA by 76%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 $6.88

$12.34 ₡5,535

-44.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.39 $49.39

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-19.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$7.76 ₡3,481

51.68%

Cappuccino

$5.82 $5.82

$4.44 ₡1,992

31.08%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.79 ₡803

62.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.29 ₡580

56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.24 ₡1,451

121.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$4.43 ₡1,985

83.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.55 ₡696

-47.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.08 ₡1,380

-26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.53 ₡1,133

-11.07%

Eggs

$2.04 $2.04

$3.45 ₡1,546

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.32 ₡3,284

78.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$10.24 ₡4,594

-34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 $19.80

$14.10 ₡6,326

40.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.29 ₡1,027

-2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.64 ₡737

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$4.79 ₡2,149

-30.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.64 ₡735

37.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$3.85 ₡1,727

-72.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.75 ₡1,681

-41.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.09 ₡488

85.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.59 ₡1,160

-8.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 $10.97

$5.12 ₡2,295

114.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.32 $15.32

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.80 ₡1,255

-1.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.52 ₡1,580

24.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.22 ₡549

69.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.17 ₡973

79.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.56 ₡698

26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.90 $43.90

$8.67 ₡3,886

406.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.55 ₡697

-40.00%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-10.93%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-34.72%

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

$246 $246

$94.8 ₡42.5K

159.22%

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

$33.00 $33.00

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-8.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.82 $47.82

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-9.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.47 $41.47

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 $10.16

$7.91 ₡3,548

28.45%

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

$1,716 $1,716

$490 ₡219.9K

249.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

95.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$54.8 ₡24.6K

19.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.69 $49.69

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 $80.3

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-0.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$77.9 ₡34.9K

57.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 $700

$801 ₡359.1K

-12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$790 ₡354.1K

62.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 $2,502

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,409 ₡632.0K

50.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,355 $2,355

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-66.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,544 $2,544

$1,236 ₡554.3K

105.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,394 $5,394

$887 ₡397.6K

508.41%

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 Clinton, IA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Clinton, IA

$1.3K 53.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.3% $490

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Clinton, IA

$327 13.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.7% $143

Groceries & Markets

Clinton, IA

$323 13.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 8.3% $27

Eating Out

Clinton, IA

$232 9.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 8.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Clinton, IA

$143 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 15.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Clinton, IA

$62 2.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 45% $28

Getting Around

Clinton, IA

$22 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 302% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Clinton, IA 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 run about 508% higher in Clinton, IA, 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 $49.00 in Clinton, IA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $350 – making Clinton, IA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Clinton, IA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h behind Clinton, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,884

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Clinton, IA Nosara 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Clinton, IA
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

Clinton, IA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Clinton, IA costs about 30% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,583 per month in Clinton, IA 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,388 in Clinton, IA and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $1,716 per month in Clinton, IA and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Clinton, IA at $2,388. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Clinton, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,388 in Clinton, IA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Clinton, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.