Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $3,060 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,060

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,060 in Denver, CO versus $1,844 in Nosara.

Denver, CO $3,060
Nosara $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,532 in Denver, CO versus $2,817 in Nosara.

Denver, CO $4,532
Nosara $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,004 in Denver, CO versus $3,790 in Nosara.

Denver, CO $6,004
Nosara $3,790

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 66% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denver, CO 126% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$12.38 ₡5,577

59.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 $84.5

$60.6 ₡27.3K

39.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$7.81 ₡3,518

51.60%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$4.37 ₡1,969

35.47%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.78 ₡802

62.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.35 ₡606

68.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.39 ₡1,528

101.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 $7.39

$4.31 ₡1,942

71.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.55 ₡700

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.17 ₡1,428

67.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$2.51 ₡1,132

200.00%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$3.53 ₡1,587

32.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.92 $16.92

$7.37 ₡3,318

129.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$10.46 ₡4,710

63.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$13.91 ₡6,264

34.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.26 ₡1,020

123.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.56 ₡703

39.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$4.70 ₡2,116

-2.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.62 ₡730

228.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.88 ₡1,749

-38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.79 ₡1,706

-25.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.07 ₡482

112.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.61 ₡1,176

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.76 $10.76

$5.16 ₡2,323

108.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.41 $19.41

$20.33 ₡9,157

-4.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.91 ₡1,312

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.67 ₡1,653

6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.31 ₡589

110.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.9 $87.9

$73.2 ₡33.0K

20.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.19 ₡985

61.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.84 ₡831

-5.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.43 $30.43

$7.81 ₡3,519

289.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.56 ₡703

-32.69%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-8.09%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-31.41%

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

$164 $164

$95.9 ₡43.2K

70.67%

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

$77.7 $77.7

$35.37 ₡15.9K

119.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$53.7 ₡24.2K

28.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 $59.2

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-12.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.74 $24.74

$35.43 ₡16.0K

-30.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$7.72 ₡3,478

95.60%

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

$2,281 $2,281

$496 ₡223.2K

360.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K $35.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

199.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 $69.3

$54.6 ₡24.6K

26.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.23 $45.23

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$79.8 ₡36.0K

29.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$77.9 ₡35.1K

71.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,846 $1,846

$817 ₡368.0K

125.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 $1,555

$800 ₡360.3K

94.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,368 $3,368

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-13.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 $2,602

$1,396 ₡628.5K

86.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,502 $5,502

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-21.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,497 $3,497

$1,222 ₡550.4K

186.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,429 $5,429

$879 ₡395.9K

517.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver, CO

$1.6K 50.8%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 48.5% $755

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$502 16.4%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 29.8% $150

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$334 10.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 36.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$310 10.1%

Nosara

$185 10% 40.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$158 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24% $38

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$111 3.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 19.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$89 2.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 7.3% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,846 in Denver, CO and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Denver, CO vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $502 vs $353 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

1 h ahead of Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Denver, CO Nosara 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Denver, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Denver, CO is about 6.2 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: $1,846 in Denver, CO versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Denver, 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 $84 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,844 in Nosara versus $3,060 in Denver, CO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value at $1,844 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.