Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellsworth, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,759 in Ellsworth, ME, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Ellsworth, ME
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Ellsworth, ME Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ellsworth, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,759

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,759 in Ellsworth, ME versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Ellsworth, ME $2,759
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,197 in Ellsworth, ME versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Ellsworth, ME $4,197
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,635 in Ellsworth, ME versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Ellsworth, ME $5,635
Nosara $3,814

Living in Ellsworth, ME is roughly 50% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ellsworth, ME 104% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.33 $16.33

$12.34 ₡5,535

32.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$61.3 ₡27.5K

96.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$7.76 ₡3,481

96.01%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$4.44 ₡1,992

11.94%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.79 ₡803

69.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.29 ₡580

89.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.24 ₡1,451

140.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$4.43 ₡1,985

83.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 ₡696

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.08 ₡1,380

50.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.54 $8.54

$2.53 ₡1,133

237.55%

Eggs

$4.10 $4.10

$3.45 ₡1,546

18.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$7.32 ₡3,284

110.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 $7.84

$10.24 ₡4,594

-23.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 $16.05

$14.10 ₡6,326

13.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.29 ₡1,027

101.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.64 ₡737

5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$4.79 ₡2,149

29.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.64 ₡735

310.98%

Potato (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.85 ₡1,727

57.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.75 ₡1,681

0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.09 ₡488

195.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.59 ₡1,160

0.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 $12.10

$5.12 ₡2,295

136.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.52 ₡1,580

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.22 ₡549

82.79%

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)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.56 ₡698

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.83 $10.83

$8.67 ₡3,886

24.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡697

-32.26%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.42%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.10%

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

$175 $175

$94.8 ₡42.5K

84.19%

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

$68.9 $68.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

90.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$53.1 ₡23.8K

47.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 $40.88

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$7.91 ₡3,548

76.36%

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

$1,249 $1,249

$490 ₡219.9K

154.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

88.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 $51.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-5.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.8 $79.8

$55.9 ₡25.1K

42.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$80.4 ₡36.0K

28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$77.9 ₡34.9K

73.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 $1,666

$801 ₡359.1K

108.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 $1,422

$790 ₡354.1K

80.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-34.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 $2,460

$1,409 ₡632.0K

74.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,070 $3,070

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-56.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,481 $2,481

$1,236 ₡554.3K

100.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-65.20%

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

Last update for Ellsworth, 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

Ellsworth, ME

$1.4K 51.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 44.5% $632

Groceries & Markets

Ellsworth, ME

$449 16.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 22% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellsworth, ME

$322 11.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 42.8% $138

Eating Out

Ellsworth, ME

$313 11.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ellsworth, ME

$166 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 27.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ellsworth, ME

$69 2.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 30.3% $21

Getting Around

Ellsworth, ME

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 381% $70

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 $1,666 in Ellsworth, ME and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $121 in Ellsworth, ME vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $449 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellsworth, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

2 h behind Ellsworth, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

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

Ellsworth, ME Nosara 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellsworth, 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

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

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,138 in Ellsworth, ME 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: $1,666 in Ellsworth, ME versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,249 in Ellsworth, ME 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 $121 in Ellsworth, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,759 in Ellsworth, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Ellsworth, ME. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ellsworth, ME, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ellsworth, ME 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 50% less than in Ellsworth, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.