Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eliot, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,793 in Eliot, ME, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Eliot, ME
Learn more

Eliot, ME Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Eliot, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,793

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,793 per month in Eliot, ME vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Eliot, ME $2,793
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,005 per month in Eliot, ME vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Eliot, ME $4,005
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,217 per month in Eliot, ME vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Eliot, ME $5,217
Nosara $3,814

Eliot, ME costs about 52% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Eliot, ME and Nosara sit above the global median – Eliot, ME by 106%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.22 $18.22

$12.34 ₡5,535

47.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 $50.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-18.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$7.76 ₡3,481

18.17%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$4.44 ₡1,992

11.26%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$1.79 ₡803

3.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 ₡580

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.24 $8.24

$3.24 ₡1,451

154.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.98 $8.98

$4.43 ₡1,985

102.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡696

-29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.08 ₡1,380

41.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$2.53 ₡1,133

185.77%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$3.45 ₡1,546

77.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.73 $15.73

$7.32 ₡3,284

114.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 $14.75

$10.24 ₡4,594

44.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 $19.01

$14.10 ₡6,326

34.82%

Apples (1kg)

$7.50 $7.50

$2.29 ₡1,027

227.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.64 ₡737

20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$4.79 ₡2,149

11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.64 ₡735

359.76%

Potato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.85 ₡1,727

17.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.75 ₡1,681

6.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.09 ₡488

174.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.59 ₡1,160

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.39 $13.39

$5.12 ₡2,295

161.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.95 $15.95

$19.92 ₡8,931

-19.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.80 ₡1,255

7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 $5.56

$3.52 ₡1,580

57.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.22 ₡549

85.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.17 ₡973

18.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 ₡698

12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.95 $27.95

$8.67 ₡3,886

222.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.55 ₡697

-25.81%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.23%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.14%

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

$246 $246

$94.8 ₡42.5K

159.42%

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

$45.58 $45.58

$36.15 ₡16.2K

26.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

39.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$16.18 $16.18

$7.91 ₡3,548

104.55%

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

$2,889 $2,889

$490 ₡219.9K

489.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K $36.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

202.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$54.8 ₡24.6K

37.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$80.4 ₡36.0K

45.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$77.9 ₡34.9K

107.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$801 ₡359.1K

97.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 $1,325

$790 ₡354.1K

67.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 $2,527

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 $2,149

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,501 $2,501

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-64.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,678 $2,678

$1,236 ₡554.3K

116.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.62

-22.74%

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

Last update for Eliot, ME: 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

Eliot, ME

$1.3K 47.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 40.4% $535

Groceries & Markets

Eliot, ME

$522 18.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 33% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eliot, ME

$365 13.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 49.6% $181

Eating Out

Eliot, ME

$305 10.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Eliot, ME

$182 6.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 33.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Eliot, ME

$74 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 20.7% $15

Getting Around

Eliot, ME

$20 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 335% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,585 in Eliot, ME 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 $50.0 in Eliot, ME versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $522 in Eliot, ME vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Eliot, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

2 h behind Eliot, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,700

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eliot, ME Nosara 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Eliot, ME
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

Eliot, ME vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eliot, ME costs about 52% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,190 per month in Eliot, ME 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Eliot, ME and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Eliot, ME, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Eliot, ME at $2,793. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eliot, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,793 in Eliot, ME. 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, Eliot, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.