Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth City, NC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
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Elizabeth City, NC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,456

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,456 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $2,456
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $3,522
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,588 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $4,588
Nosara $3,814

Elizabeth City, NC costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Elizabeth City, NC and Nosara sit above the global median – Elizabeth City, NC by 81%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 $11.95

$12.34 ₡5,535

-3.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.93 $34.93

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-43.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 $11.60

$7.76 ₡3,481

49.48%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$4.44 ₡1,992

31.53%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.79 ₡803

40.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.29 ₡580

58.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

89.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.43 ₡1,985

60.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡696

-38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.08 ₡1,380

18.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.53 ₡1,133

18.58%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$3.45 ₡1,546

38.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$7.32 ₡3,284

47.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 $10.01

$10.24 ₡4,594

-2.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 $17.49

$14.10 ₡6,326

24.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.29 ₡1,027

91.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.64 ₡737

-21.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.79 ₡2,149

-8.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.64 ₡735

176.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.85 ₡1,727

-43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.75 ₡1,681

-41.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.09 ₡488

84.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.59 ₡1,160

-13.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$5.12 ₡2,295

73.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$19.92 ₡8,931

-26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.80 ₡1,255

-24.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.52 ₡1,580

-24.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.22 ₡549

48.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.17 ₡973

34.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.56 ₡698

23.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.19 $18.19

$8.67 ₡3,886

109.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.45%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.87%

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

$183 $183

$94.8 ₡42.5K

93.06%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$36.15 ₡16.2K

57.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

12.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.64 $45.64

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-38.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.91 ₡3,548

90.39%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$490 ₡219.9K

204.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

109.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-0.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$77.9 ₡34.9K

83.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$801 ₡359.1K

97.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$790 ₡354.1K

61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,409 ₡632.0K

53.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 $2,870

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-59.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,355 $2,355

$1,236 ₡554.3K

90.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

8.62

-23.32%

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

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: 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

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 52.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.2% $489

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth City, NC

$373 15.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 6.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth City, NC

$299 12.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 38.5% $115

Eating Out

Elizabeth City, NC

$264 10.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 19.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 17.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth City, NC

$76 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.3% $14

Getting Around

Elizabeth City, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 348% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC 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 $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Elizabeth City, NC vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

2 h behind Elizabeth City, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,683

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elizabeth City, NC Nosara 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth City, NC
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

Elizabeth City, NC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,685 per month in Elizabeth City, NC 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 $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC 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 7% more in Elizabeth City, NC, 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 Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Elizabeth City, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.