Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairfield, CT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,624 in Fairfield, CT, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Fairfield, CT
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Fairfield, CT Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fairfield, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,624

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Fairfield, CT vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Fairfield, CT $2,624
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,865 per month in Fairfield, CT vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Fairfield, CT $3,865
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,106 per month in Fairfield, CT vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Fairfield, CT $5,106
Nosara $3,814

Fairfield, CT costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fairfield, CT and Nosara sit above the global median – Fairfield, CT by 94%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$12.34 ₡5,535

59.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 $11.48

$7.76 ₡3,481

47.94%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.44 ₡1,992

26.80%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.79 ₡803

36.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.29 ₡580

38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.24 ₡1,451

81.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.43 ₡1,985

58.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡696

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.08 ₡1,380

15.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.53 ₡1,133

73.12%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$3.45 ₡1,546

23.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$7.32 ₡3,284

72.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$10.24 ₡4,594

14.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 $17.14

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.29 ₡1,027

88.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.64 ₡737

-6.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$4.79 ₡2,149

-19.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.64 ₡735

166.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.85 ₡1,727

-24.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.75 ₡1,681

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.09 ₡488

94.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.59 ₡1,160

-9.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.85 $8.85

$5.12 ₡2,295

72.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.52 $15.52

$19.92 ₡8,931

-22.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.80 ₡1,255

-29.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.52 ₡1,580

-10.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.22 ₡549

66.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.0 $70.0

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-5.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.17 ₡973

51.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.56 ₡698

9.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.28 $30.28

$8.67 ₡3,886

249.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.55 ₡697

-26.45%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.94%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.48%

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

$197 $197

$94.8 ₡42.5K

107.75%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

60.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

32.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.03 $42.03

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 $14.29

$7.91 ₡3,548

80.66%

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

$1,424 $1,424

$490 ₡219.9K

190.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

96.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-4.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.95 $40.95

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 $88.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$77.9 ₡34.9K

47.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$801 ₡359.1K

95.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$790 ₡354.1K

63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 $2,184

$1,409 ₡632.0K

54.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,337 $2,337

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-66.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 $2,221

$1,236 ₡554.3K

79.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,993 $4,993

$887 ₡397.6K

463.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-30.39%

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

Last update for Fairfield, CT: 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

Fairfield, CT

$1.3K 49.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.8% $500

Groceries & Markets

Fairfield, CT

$394 15%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairfield, CT

$326 12.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.5% $142

Eating Out

Fairfield, CT

$320 12.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Fairfield, CT

$134 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.4% $13

Getting Around

Fairfield, CT

$90 3.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 1.3% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Fairfield, CT

$71 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,567 in Fairfield, CT 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.

Salaries run about 463% higher in Fairfield, CT, 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 $74.0 in Fairfield, CT versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $394 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairfield, CT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

11:46 11:46 AM

2 h behind Fairfield, CT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,133

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

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Between locations

Fairfield, CT Nosara 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairfield, CT
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

Fairfield, CT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fairfield, CT is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Fairfield, CT 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,424 per month in Fairfield, CT and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Fairfield, CT, 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 Fairfield, CT at $2,624. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fairfield, CT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Fairfield, CT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.