Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Decatur, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Decatur, IL: $1,725 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Decatur, IL
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Decatur, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Decatur, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,725

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,725 per month in Decatur, IL vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Decatur, IL $1,725
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,654 per month in Decatur, IL vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Decatur, IL $2,654
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,582 per month in Decatur, IL vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Decatur, IL $3,582
Nosara $3,818

Decatur, IL is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Decatur, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Decatur, IL by 28%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.35 ₡5,539

61.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 $83.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

36.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$7.52 ₡3,373

16.22%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$4.41 ₡1,978

22.68%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$1.74 ₡780

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.31 ₡587

26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.28 ₡1,471

53.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$4.47 ₡2,004

36.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.02 ₡1,355

1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.51 ₡1,125

-19.12%

Eggs

$4.74 $4.74

$3.57 ₡1,603

32.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 $13.87

$7.43 ₡3,333

86.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.86 $14.86

$10.52 ₡4,717

41.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$13.97 ₡6,265

-6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.35 ₡1,052

83.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.61 ₡720

25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.80 ₡2,152

-16.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.61 ₡724

103.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$3.80 ₡1,703

-76.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$3.69 ₡1,657

-70.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.13 ₡507

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.66 ₡1,191

15.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.87 $15.87

$5.18 ₡2,321

206.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.90 ₡1,300

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.63 ₡1,626

-45.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.14 ₡958

48.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.57 ₡703

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.28 $25.28

$8.52 ₡3,823

196.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.52 ₡682

-23.68%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.01%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.10%

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

$85.6 $85.6

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-11.07%

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

$67.2 $67.2

$35.89 ₡16.1K

87.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 $60.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

12.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 $74.7

$71.6 ₡32.1K

4.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 $11.82

$7.89 ₡3,539

49.81%

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

$1,525 $1,525

$494 ₡221.6K

208.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K $32.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

169.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 $68.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

26.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 $51.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-7.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

30.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$79.6 ₡35.7K

80.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 $867

$788 ₡353.4K

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 $551

$794 ₡356.2K

-30.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 $993

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-74.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 $805

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-43.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$940 $940

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-86.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$941 $941

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-23.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,599 $4,599

$864 ₡387.3K

432.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Decatur, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Decatur, IL

$551 31.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.1% $243

Groceries & Markets

Decatur, IL

$385 22.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.4% $32

Eating Out

Decatur, IL

$304 17.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Decatur, IL

$213 12.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Decatur, IL

$164 9.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Decatur, IL

$98 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.1% $11

Getting Around

Decatur, IL

$10 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 747% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $867 in Decatur, IL versus $788 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 433% higher in Decatur, IL, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Decatur, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Decatur, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

1 h behind Decatur, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,047

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Decatur, IL Nosara 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Decatur, IL
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

Decatur, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,588 per month in Decatur, IL and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Decatur, IL, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Decatur, IL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Decatur, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,725, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Decatur, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Decatur, IL – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Decatur, IL. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.