Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabethtown, KY and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,031 in Elizabethtown, KY, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Elizabethtown, KY outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Elizabethtown, KY
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Elizabethtown, KY Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Elizabethtown, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,031

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,031 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Elizabethtown, KY $2,031
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,927 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Elizabethtown, KY $2,927
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,823 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Elizabethtown, KY $3,823
Nosara $3,814

Living in Elizabethtown, KY is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elizabethtown, KY 50% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.18 $15.18

$12.34 ₡5,535

23.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.75 $49.75

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-18.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 $10.17

$7.76 ₡3,481

31.06%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.29%

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

$2.18 $2.18

$1.79 ₡803

21.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.29 ₡580

27.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.24 ₡1,451

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 $7.39

$4.43 ₡1,985

66.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.55 ₡696

-47.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.08 ₡1,380

-30.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.53 ₡1,133

-20.55%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$3.45 ₡1,546

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$7.32 ₡3,284

71.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$10.24 ₡4,594

8.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.87 $15.87

$14.10 ₡6,326

12.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.29 ₡1,027

148.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.64 ₡737

-2.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$4.79 ₡2,149

-7.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.64 ₡735

193.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.85 ₡1,727

-31.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.75 ₡1,681

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.09 ₡488

91.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.59 ₡1,160

-26.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 $6.05

$5.12 ₡2,295

18.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.80 ₡1,255

-25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.52 ₡1,580

-15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.17 ₡973

75.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.56 ₡698

-19.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$8.67 ₡3,886

192.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.55 ₡697

-43.87%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.57%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-36.56%

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

$152 $152

$94.8 ₡42.5K

59.95%

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

$75.6 $75.6

$36.15 ₡16.2K

109.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

36.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 $11.12

$7.91 ₡3,548

40.58%

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

$1,443 $1,443

$490 ₡219.9K

194.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

64.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.09 $46.09

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 $39.26

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 $85.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 $84.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 $1,207

$801 ₡359.1K

50.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$953 $953

$790 ₡354.1K

20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,875 $1,875

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$1,409 ₡632.0K

6.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,784 $1,784

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-74.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,733 $1,733

$1,236 ₡554.3K

40.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,345 $3,345

$887 ₡397.6K

277.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Elizabethtown, KY: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elizabethtown, KY

$953 46.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 17.1% $163

Groceries & Markets

Elizabethtown, KY

$362 17.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 3.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabethtown, KY

$299 14.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 38.5% $115

Eating Out

Elizabethtown, KY

$270 13.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 21.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabethtown, KY

$115 5.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 5.5% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabethtown, KY

$22 * 1.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 303% $67

Getting Around

Elizabethtown, KY

$10 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 781% $79

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 $1,207 in Elizabethtown, KY and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabethtown, KY pays 277% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Elizabethtown, KY vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabethtown, KY

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

2 h behind Elizabethtown, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,406

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

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Between locations

Elizabethtown, KY Nosara 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elizabethtown, KY
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

Elizabethtown, KY vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elizabethtown, KY and Nosara differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,031 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 277% higher in Elizabethtown, KY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,207 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,443 in Elizabethtown, KY versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $50.0 in Elizabethtown, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,031 in Elizabethtown, KY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Elizabethtown, KY. 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, Elizabethtown, KY 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 11% less than in Elizabethtown, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.