Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Effingham, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,500 in Effingham, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Effingham, IL
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Effingham, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Effingham, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,500

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Effingham, IL versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Effingham, IL $2,500
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,556 in Effingham, IL versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Effingham, IL $3,556
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,612 in Effingham, IL versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Effingham, IL $4,612
Nosara $3,814

Living in Effingham, IL is roughly 36% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Effingham, IL 84% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.06 $15.06

$12.34 ₡5,535

22.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.89 $44.89

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-26.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

53.99%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$4.44 ₡1,992

24.55%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$1.79 ₡803

79.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.29 ₡580

106.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.24 ₡1,451

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.43 ₡1,985

58.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡696

-42.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.08 ₡1,380

10.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.53 ₡1,133

77.08%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$3.45 ₡1,546

6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$7.32 ₡3,284

70.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.24 ₡4,594

5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$14.10 ₡6,326

18.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.29 ₡1,027

149.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.64 ₡737

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.79 ₡2,149

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.64 ₡735

166.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.85 ₡1,727

-42.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.75 ₡1,681

-71.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.09 ₡488

124.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.59 ₡1,160

-6.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 $10.84

$5.12 ₡2,295

111.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$19.92 ₡8,931

-40.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.80 ₡1,255

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.52 ₡1,580

3.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.22 ₡549

50.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.17 ₡973

-10.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 ₡698

12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 $33.78

$8.67 ₡3,886

289.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡697

-36.13%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.91%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.37%

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

$229 $229

$94.8 ₡42.5K

141.96%

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

$44.95 $44.95

$36.15 ₡16.2K

24.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

23.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 $41.33

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.91 ₡3,548

89.38%

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

$1,729 $1,729

$490 ₡219.9K

252.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

102.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 $45.09

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-17.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.03 $35.03

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-37.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.2 $65.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 $1,628

$801 ₡359.1K

103.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$790 ₡354.1K

64.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 $2,487

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 $2,804

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,326 $2,326

$1,236 ₡554.3K

88.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Effingham, IL: 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

Effingham, IL

$1.3K 51.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.1% $507

Groceries & Markets

Effingham, IL

$384 15.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Effingham, IL

$340 13.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 45.8% $156

Eating Out

Effingham, IL

$285 11.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Effingham, IL

$104 4.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 16.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Effingham, IL

$71 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 25.7% $18

Getting Around

Effingham, IL

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 390% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Effingham, IL and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Effingham, IL vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Effingham, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

1 h behind Effingham, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,447

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

Effingham, IL Nosara 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Effingham, 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

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

Effingham, IL and Nosara differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,500 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,750 in Effingham, IL and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,628 in Effingham, IL versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Effingham, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,500 per month in Effingham, IL versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Effingham, 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, Effingham, 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 36% less than in Effingham, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.