Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Downingtown, PA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,288 in Downingtown, PA, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

159

Cost of Living Index in Downingtown, PA
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Downingtown, PA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Downingtown, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,288

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,288 per month in Downingtown, PA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Downingtown, PA $3,288
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,453 per month in Downingtown, PA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Downingtown, PA $4,453
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,618 per month in Downingtown, PA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Downingtown, PA $5,618
Nosara $3,814

Downingtown, PA costs about 79% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Downingtown, PA and Nosara sit above the global median – Downingtown, PA by 143%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.09 $16.09

$12.34 ₡5,535

30.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$61.3 ₡27.5K

92.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.97 $12.97

$7.76 ₡3,481

67.14%

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$4.44 ₡1,992

3.60%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.79 ₡803

35.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.29 ₡580

17.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.24 ₡1,451

111.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 $6.43

$4.43 ₡1,985

45.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.55 ₡696

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.08 ₡1,380

33.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.53 ₡1,133

56.13%

Eggs

$2.01 $2.01

$3.45 ₡1,546

-41.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$7.32 ₡3,284

77.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$10.24 ₡4,594

-35.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$14.10 ₡6,326

-20.43%

Apples (1kg)

$6.31 $6.31

$2.29 ₡1,027

175.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.64 ₡737

-15.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.79 ₡2,149

-15.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.64 ₡735

157.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.85 ₡1,727

-44.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.75 ₡1,681

-29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.09 ₡488

172.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.59 ₡1,160

-20.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.95 $14.95

$5.12 ₡2,295

191.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.72 $17.72

$19.92 ₡8,931

-11.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.80 ₡1,255

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.52 ₡1,580

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.22 ₡549

59.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 $8.07

$2.17 ₡973

271.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.56 ₡698

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$8.67 ₡3,886

296.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡697

-36.13%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.41%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-38.94%

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

$208 $208

$94.8 ₡42.5K

119.17%

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

$38.93 $38.93

$36.15 ₡16.2K

7.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 $68.8

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-6.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.92 $12.92

$7.91 ₡3,548

63.34%

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

$3,232 $3,232

$490 ₡219.9K

559.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$66.2K $66.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

456.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 $49.88

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.62 $49.62

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$80.4 ₡36.0K

24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$77.9 ₡34.9K

52.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 $2,140

$801 ₡359.1K

167.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 $2,059

$790 ₡354.1K

160.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,942 $3,942

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-1.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 $2,728

$1,409 ₡632.0K

93.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Downingtown, PA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Downingtown, PA

$2.1K 62.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 61.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Downingtown, PA

$358 10.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 2.3% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Downingtown, PA

$316 9.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 41.8% $132

Eating Out

Downingtown, PA

$286 8.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Downingtown, PA

$144 4.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 15.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Downingtown, PA

$95 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 5.3% $5

Getting Around

Downingtown, PA

$31 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 190% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,140 in Downingtown, PA versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Downingtown, PA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Downingtown, PA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

2 h behind Downingtown, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

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Highest

Between locations

Downingtown, PA Nosara 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Downingtown, PA
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

Downingtown, PA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Downingtown, PA costs about 79% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,932 per month in Downingtown, PA and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,288 in Downingtown, PA and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 79%.

Kindergarten costs $3,232 per month in Downingtown, PA and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Downingtown, PA at $3,288. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Downingtown, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $3,288 in Downingtown, PA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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