Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Des Plaines, IL $3,073
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Des Plaines, IL $4,412
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Des Plaines, IL $5,750
Nosara $3,712

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 67% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 129% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 $20.88

$12.22 ₡5,509

70.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

48.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 $12.87

$7.54 ₡3,399

70.69%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.31 ₡1,941

31.09%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.72 ₡773

50.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.35 ₡608

71.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.24 ₡1,459

114.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.48 ₡2,018

79.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.57 ₡707

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.17 ₡1,429

10.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.42 ₡1,091

74.79%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$3.57 ₡1,609

16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 $14.67

$7.43 ₡3,349

97.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.42 ₡4,697

24.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$13.66 ₡6,156

38.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.32 ₡1,044

104.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.61 ₡728

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.74 ₡2,138

-12.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.66 ₡747

190.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.72 ₡1,679

-28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.57 ₡1,611

-23.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.10 ₡497

95.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.55 ₡1,149

-5.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$4.95 ₡2,232

115.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$20.01 ₡9,020

-25.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.79 ₡1,256

-8.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.19 ₡537

69.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-15.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.24 ₡1,011

41.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.55 ₡701

-11.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 $24.93

$8.86 ₡3,993

181.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.57 ₡708

-33.12%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

64.76%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.32%

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

$195 $195

$93.5 ₡42.1K

108.59%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

72.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

49.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$71.4 ₡32.2K

74.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 $40.72

$35.44 ₡16.0K

14.90%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$7.84 ₡3,535

93.37%

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

$1,545 $1,545

$490 ₡220.7K

215.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

97.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

21.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-8.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$79.3 ₡35.7K

27.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$78.9 ₡35.6K

55.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$786 ₡354.3K

166.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$780 ₡351.6K

95.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$3,860 ₡1.7M

0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$1,407 ₡634.4K

80.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,174 $3,174

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-54.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,521 $2,521

$1,201 ₡541.3K

109.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,220 $6,220

$876 ₡395.0K

609.83%

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 Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 48.7% $741

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 16.5% $69

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 39.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 45.9% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 43.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 21.2% $32

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.1% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 610% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

1 h behind Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

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Between locations

Des Plaines, IL Nosara 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

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

Des Plaines, IL and Nosara differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($3,073 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 610% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Des Plaines, IL. 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 $60.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Des Plaines, IL 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 67% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.