Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colorado Springs, CO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,709 in Colorado Springs, CO, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Colorado Springs, CO
Learn more

Colorado Springs, CO Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Colorado Springs, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,709

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,709 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $1,844 in Nosara.

Colorado Springs, CO $2,709
Nosara $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,232 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $2,817 in Nosara.

Colorado Springs, CO $4,232
Nosara $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,755 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $3,790 in Nosara.

Colorado Springs, CO $5,755
Nosara $3,790

Living in Colorado Springs, CO is roughly 47% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Colorado Springs, CO 100% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.98 $19.98

$12.38 ₡5,568

61.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 $86.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

42.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 $13.20

$7.81 ₡3,513

69.01%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$4.37 ₡1,966

24.49%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.78 ₡800

53.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.35 ₡605

65.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.39 ₡1,526

79.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.31 ₡1,939

62.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.55 ₡699

-37.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.17 ₡1,425

0.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.51 ₡1,130

69.32%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$3.53 ₡1,585

68.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.68 $14.68

$7.37 ₡3,313

99.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.38 $13.38

$10.46 ₡4,703

27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$13.91 ₡6,255

37.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.26 ₡1,018

138.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.56 ₡701

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$4.70 ₡2,113

-7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.62 ₡729

199.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.88 ₡1,746

-34.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$3.79 ₡1,704

-30.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.07 ₡481

114.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.61 ₡1,174

-23.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 $10.14

$5.16 ₡2,319

96.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 $19.05

$20.33 ₡9,143

-6.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.91 ₡1,310

12.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.67 ₡1,651

26.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.31 ₡588

30.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.7 $63.7

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-13.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.19 ₡984

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.84 ₡829

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$7.81 ₡3,513

224.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.56 ₡702

-32.69%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-16.61%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-29.41%

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

$202 $202

$95.9 ₡43.1K

110.66%

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

$93.4 $93.4

$35.37 ₡15.9K

164.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$53.7 ₡24.1K

88.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.13 $44.13

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-34.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.07 $34.07

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-3.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$7.72 ₡3,473

90.67%

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

$1,535 $1,535

$496 ₡222.8K

209.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K $21.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

78.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$54.6 ₡24.6K

7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 $35.36

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-35.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$79.8 ₡35.9K

1.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$77.9 ₡35.0K

30.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 $1,709

$817 ₡367.5K

109.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$800 ₡359.7K

58.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,854 $2,854

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-26.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$1,396 ₡627.6K

82.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,783 $2,783

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-60.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$1,222 ₡549.6K

89.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,276 $4,276

$879 ₡395.3K

386.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Colorado Springs, CO: November 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colorado Springs, CO

$1.3K 46.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 36.8% $465

Groceries & Markets

Colorado Springs, CO

$438 16.2%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 19.4% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colorado Springs, CO

$397 14.6%

Nosara

$185 10% 53.4% $212

Eating Out

Colorado Springs, CO

$329 12.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 35.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Colorado Springs, CO

$124 4.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3.3% $4.1

Getting Around

Colorado Springs, CO

$82 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 9.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Colorado Springs, CO

$74 2.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 12.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,709 in Colorado Springs, CO and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colorado Springs, CO pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Colorado Springs, CO vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $353 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Colorado Springs, CO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

19:09 7:09 PM

1 h ahead of Colorado Springs, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

478,961

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colorado Springs, CO Nosara 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Colorado Springs, CO
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

Colorado Springs, CO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Colorado Springs, CO is about 4.9 times higher, 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: $1,709 in Colorado Springs, CO versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Colorado Springs, CO. 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 versus $86 in Colorado Springs, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Colorado Springs, CO and Nosara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Colorado Springs, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.