Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East Chicago, IN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,544 in East Chicago, IN, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in East Chicago, IN
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East Chicago, IN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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East Chicago, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,544

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $2,544
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,746 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $3,746
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,947 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $4,947
Nosara $3,814

East Chicago, IN costs about 39% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both East Chicago, IN and Nosara sit above the global median – East Chicago, IN by 88%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 $20.94

$12.34 ₡5,535

69.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$61.3 ₡27.5K

30.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 $10.63

$7.76 ₡3,481

36.98%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$4.44 ₡1,992

26.58%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.79 ₡803

58.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.29 ₡580

75.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

89.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$4.43 ₡1,985

57.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡696

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.08 ₡1,380

5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.53 ₡1,133

69.57%

Eggs

$4.41 $4.41

$3.45 ₡1,546

27.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 $13.51

$7.32 ₡3,284

84.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$10.24 ₡4,594

28.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$14.10 ₡6,326

4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.29 ₡1,027

121.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.64 ₡737

2.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$4.79 ₡2,149

-11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.64 ₡735

147.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.85 ₡1,727

-29.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.75 ₡1,681

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.09 ₡488

84.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$5.12 ₡2,295

112.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.64 $13.64

$19.92 ₡8,931

-31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.80 ₡1,255

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.52 ₡1,580

-5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.22 ₡549

86.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.17 ₡973

58.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.56 ₡698

20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.32 $27.32

$8.67 ₡3,886

215.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡697

-40.65%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.73%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-37.80%

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

$200 $200

$94.8 ₡42.5K

110.99%

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

$58.1 $58.1

$36.15 ₡16.2K

60.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

30.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.78 $38.78

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-47.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 $12.56

$7.91 ₡3,548

58.79%

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

$1,575 $1,575

$490 ₡219.9K

221.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

103.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.67 $45.67

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-16.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 $1,611

$801 ₡359.1K

101.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$790 ₡354.1K

61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 $2,510

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,125 $2,125

$1,409 ₡632.0K

50.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,782 $2,782

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,636 $2,636

$1,236 ₡554.3K

113.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,143 $4,143

$887 ₡397.6K

367.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for East Chicago, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East Chicago, IN

$1.3K 50.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.2% $487

Groceries & Markets

East Chicago, IN

$394 15.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.2% $44

Eating Out

East Chicago, IN

$332 13.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 35.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East Chicago, IN

$327 12.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.7% $143

Clothing & Footwear

East Chicago, IN

$128 5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 5.6% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

East Chicago, IN

$64 2.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 40.2% $26

Getting Around

East Chicago, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 305% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in East Chicago, IN 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 367% higher in East Chicago, IN, 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 $80.0 in East Chicago, IN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $394 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 East Chicago, IN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind East Chicago, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,370

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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Highest

Between locations

East Chicago, IN Nosara 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

East Chicago, IN
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

East Chicago, IN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – East Chicago, IN is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,815 per month in East Chicago, IN 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 $2,544 in East Chicago, IN and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $1,575 per month in East Chicago, IN 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 East Chicago, IN at $2,544. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in East Chicago, IN 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, East Chicago, IN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.