Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duluth, MN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,233 in Duluth, MN, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Duluth, MN
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Duluth, MN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Duluth, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,233

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,233 per month in Duluth, MN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Duluth, MN $2,233
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,579 per month in Duluth, MN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Duluth, MN $3,579
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,925 per month in Duluth, MN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Duluth, MN $4,925
Nosara $3,814

Duluth, MN costs about 22% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Duluth, MN and Nosara sit above the global median – Duluth, MN by 65%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$12.34 ₡5,535

60.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 $66.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.76 ₡3,481

29.77%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.44 ₡1,992

20.50%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$1.79 ₡803

39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.29 ₡580

44.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 $6.45

$3.24 ₡1,451

99.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$4.43 ₡1,985

77.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.55 ₡696

-46.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.08 ₡1,380

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.53 ₡1,133

53.36%

Eggs

$3.70 $3.70

$3.45 ₡1,546

7.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 $10.12

$7.32 ₡3,284

38.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 $10.51

$10.24 ₡4,594

2.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$14.10 ₡6,326

33.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.29 ₡1,027

128.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.64 ₡737

-9.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$4.79 ₡2,149

-44.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.64 ₡735

171.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$3.85 ₡1,727

-71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.75 ₡1,681

-41.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.09 ₡488

7.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.59 ₡1,160

-44.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.06 $13.06

$5.12 ₡2,295

155.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.92 $15.92

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.52 ₡1,580

-20.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.22 ₡549

51.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.24 $39.24

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-46.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.17 ₡973

124.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.56 ₡698

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 $23.73

$8.67 ₡3,886

173.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡697

-38.06%

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

$22.1K $22.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-36.01%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-39.30%

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

$177 $177

$94.8 ₡42.5K

86.46%

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

$44.52 $44.52

$36.15 ₡16.2K

23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

28.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 $63.2

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-14.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.71 $25.71

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-27.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 $11.23

$7.91 ₡3,548

41.97%

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

$1,029 $1,029

$490 ₡219.9K

109.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-14.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$54.8 ₡24.6K

4.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 $43.48

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-22.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$80.4 ₡36.0K

25.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 $85.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$801 ₡359.1K

60.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 $1,001

$790 ₡354.1K

26.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,334 $2,334

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-41.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,200 $2,200

$1,409 ₡632.0K

56.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-68.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$1,236 ₡554.3K

79.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,783 $3,783

$887 ₡397.6K

326.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

8.62

-28.19%

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

Last update for Duluth, MN: 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

Duluth, MN

$1K 44.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 21.1% $211

Groceries & Markets

Duluth, MN

$351 15.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Duluth, MN

$318 14.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.1% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duluth, MN

$289 13%

Nosara

$184 10% 36.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Duluth, MN

$129 5.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Duluth, MN

$86 3.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 4.6% $4

Getting Around

Duluth, MN

$59 2.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 50.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,287 in Duluth, MN 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.

Salaries run about 327% higher in Duluth, MN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Duluth, MN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Duluth, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h behind Duluth, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,265

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Duluth, MN Nosara 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Duluth, MN
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

Duluth, MN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Duluth, MN is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,349 per month in Duluth, MN 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 $2,233 in Duluth, MN and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Duluth, MN at $2,233. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Duluth, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Duluth, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.