Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,592 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Evanston, IL vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,592
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,449 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,449
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,305 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,305
Nosara $3,818

Evanston, IL costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Evanston, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 92%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 $21.26

$12.35 ₡5,539

72.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 $85.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

39.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$7.52 ₡3,373

69.55%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$4.41 ₡1,978

28.80%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.74 ₡780

54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.31 ₡587

73.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.28 ₡1,471

117.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$4.47 ₡2,004

83.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.02 ₡1,355

30.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.51 ₡1,125

72.11%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$3.57 ₡1,603

35.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$7.43 ₡3,333

93.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$10.52 ₡4,717

41.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 $20.11

$13.97 ₡6,265

43.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.35 ₡1,052

126.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.61 ₡720

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$4.80 ₡2,152

-16.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.61 ₡724

196.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.80 ₡1,703

-29.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.69 ₡1,657

-22.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.13 ₡507

85.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.66 ₡1,191

-11.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$5.18 ₡2,321

105.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$19.88 ₡8,916

-24.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.90 ₡1,300

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.63 ₡1,626

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.12 ₡504

117.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

3.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.14 ₡958

91.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.57 ₡703

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.26 $43.26

$8.52 ₡3,823

407.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.52 ₡682

-34.21%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

63.75%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.70%

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

$192 $192

$96.3 ₡43.2K

99.30%

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

$61.6 $61.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

71.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

34.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 $76.1

$71.6 ₡32.1K

6.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.8 $60.8

$34.91 ₡15.7K

74.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$7.89 ₡3,539

87.96%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$494 ₡221.6K

206.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

166.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

19.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-8.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

38.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$79.6 ₡35.7K

58.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 $1,645

$788 ₡353.4K

108.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$794 ₡356.2K

40.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,989 $3,989

$3,939 ₡1.8M

1.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,954 $2,954

$1,419 ₡636.5K

108.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.6K $14.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

110.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.8K $12.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

947.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,335 $5,335

$864 ₡387.3K

517.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

8.62

-21.46%

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

Last update for Evanston, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 28.9% $323

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$441 17%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20.1% $89

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$348 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.2% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$326 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 43% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$106 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.4% $18

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 9.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,645 in Evanston, IL versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 518% higher in Evanston, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

1 h behind Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Evanston, IL Nosara 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,592 in Evanston, IL, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Evanston, IL and $2,758 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.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Evanston, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Evanston, IL at $2,592. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Evanston, IL 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,592 in Evanston, IL. 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, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.