Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Covington, LA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,657 in Covington, LA, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Covington, LA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Covington, LA
Learn more

Covington, LA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Covington, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,657

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,657 in Covington, LA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Covington, LA $2,657
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,774 in Covington, LA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Covington, LA $3,774
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,890 in Covington, LA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Covington, LA $4,890
Nosara $3,814

Living in Covington, LA is roughly 45% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Covington, LA 96% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.71 $18.71

$12.34 ₡5,535

51.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-9.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 $11.85

$7.76 ₡3,481

52.71%

Cappuccino

$3.10 $3.10

$4.44 ₡1,992

-30.18%

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

$1.79 $1.79

$1.79 ₡803

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.29 ₡580

10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.24 ₡1,451

24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 $5.23

$4.43 ₡1,985

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.55 ₡696

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.08 ₡1,380

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.53 ₡1,133

7.51%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$3.45 ₡1,546

-5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$7.32 ₡3,284

-30.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$10.24 ₡4,594

-29.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 $13.76

$14.10 ₡6,326

-2.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.29 ₡1,027

80.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.64 ₡737

-51.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$4.79 ₡2,149

-45.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.64 ₡735

154.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.85 ₡1,727

-31.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.75 ₡1,681

-28.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.09 ₡488

93.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.00 $9.00

$5.12 ₡2,295

75.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.52 ₡1,580

11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.17 ₡973

17.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.56 ₡698

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.85 $25.85

$8.67 ₡3,886

198.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

6.66%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.81%

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

$302 $302

$94.8 ₡42.5K

218.77%

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

$50.3 $50.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

39.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

33.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 $64.8

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-12.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 $10.33

$7.91 ₡3,548

30.59%

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

$613 $613

$490 ₡219.9K

25.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K $14.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

17.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.59 $46.59

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-14.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 $39.91

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 $83.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

3.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.7 $96.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$801 ₡359.1K

111.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$790 ₡354.1K

82.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,233 $3,233

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-19.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 $2,433

$1,409 ₡632.0K

72.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,853 $6,853

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-2.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,051 $4,051

$1,236 ₡554.3K

227.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,813 $4,813

$887 ₡397.6K

442.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Covington, LA: 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

Covington, LA

$1.4K 54.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 45.2% $650

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Covington, LA

$423 15.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 56.5% $239

Groceries & Markets

Covington, LA

$313 11.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.8% $37

Eating Out

Covington, LA

$266 10%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 20% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Covington, LA

$120 4.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Covington, LA

$85 3.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 4.9% $4.2

Getting Around

Covington, LA

$10 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 747% $78

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 $1,693 in Covington, LA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Covington, LA pays 443% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56.0 in Covington, LA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $350 per month, with Covington, LA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Covington, LA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

1 h behind Covington, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,870

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Covington, LA Nosara 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Covington, LA
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

Covington, LA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 443% higher in Covington, LA, 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: $1,693 in Covington, LA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Covington, LA pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,657 per month in Covington, LA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,657 in Covington, LA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Covington, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Covington, LA 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Covington, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.