Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Farmington Hills, MI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,534 in Farmington Hills, MI, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Farmington Hills, MI
🇺🇸 United States
$2,534
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,534 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Farmington Hills, MI $2,534
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,779 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Farmington Hills, MI $3,779
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,025 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Farmington Hills, MI $5,025
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Farmington Hills, MI is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Farmington Hills, MI 88% above, Nosara 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.80 $16.80
$12.35 ₡5,539
36.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.7 $60.7
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-0.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.36 $10.36
$7.52 ₡3,373
37.77%
Cappuccino
$4.91 $4.91
$4.41 ₡1,978
11.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 $2.04
$1.74 ₡780
17.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 $1.97
$1.31 ₡587
50.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.14 $5.14
$3.28 ₡1,471
56.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 $5.92
$4.47 ₡2,004
32.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 $0.80
$1.56 ₡701
-48.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.16 $2.16
$3.02 ₡1,355
-28.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.42 $4.42
$2.51 ₡1,125
76.10%
Eggs
$2.73 $2.73
$3.57 ₡1,603
-23.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.33 $10.33
$7.43 ₡3,333
39.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.61 $11.61
$10.52 ₡4,717
10.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.80 $18.80
$13.97 ₡6,265
34.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.46 $3.46
$2.35 ₡1,052
47.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.61 ₡720
-34.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.48 $6.48
$4.80 ₡2,152
35.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.61 $3.61
$1.61 ₡724
124.22%
Potato (1kg)
$5.79 $5.79
$3.80 ₡1,703
52.37%
Onion (1kg)
$4.45 $4.45
$3.69 ₡1,657
20.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.13 ₡507
85.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 $1.52
$2.66 ₡1,191
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.31 $9.31
$5.18 ₡2,321
79.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.10 $13.10
$19.88 ₡8,916
-34.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 $2.40
$2.90 ₡1,300
-17.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 $2.45
$3.63 ₡1,626
-32.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 $2.93
$1.12 ₡504
161.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.0 $65.0
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-10.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.34 $5.34
$2.14 ₡958
149.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.57 ₡703
-0.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$48.21 $48.21
$8.52 ₡3,823
465.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 $1.02
$1.52 ₡682
-32.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K $34.0K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
57.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-26.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 $180
$96.3 ₡43.2K
86.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.3 $58.3
$35.89 ₡16.1K
62.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 $53.1
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-0.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$75.9 $75.9
$71.6 ₡32.1K
5.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.60 $35.60
$34.91 ₡15.7K
1.98%
Cinema Ticket
$11.09 $11.09
$7.89 ₡3,539
40.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,630 $1,630
$494 ₡221.6K
229.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K $16.5K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
39.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.0 $56.0
$53.9 ₡24.2K
3.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.93 $48.93
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-11.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.39 $45.39
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-41.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$79.6 ₡35.7K
46.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,533 $1,533
$788 ₡353.4K
94.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,289 $1,289
$794 ₡356.2K
62.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,683 $2,683
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-31.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,280 $2,280
$1,419 ₡636.5K
60.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,936 $2,936
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-57.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,719 $1,719
$1,224 ₡549.0K
40.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Farmington Hills, MI
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,171 $5,171
$864 ₡387.3K
498.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.35
8.62
-26.33%

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

Last update for Farmington Hills, MI: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Farmington Hills, MI
$1.3K
Nosara
$794 38.4% $495
Groceries & Markets
Farmington Hills, MI
$367
Nosara
$352 4% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Farmington Hills, MI
$291
Nosara
$186 36.2% $106
Eating Out
Farmington Hills, MI
$278
Nosara
$212 23.8% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Farmington Hills, MI
$120
Nosara
$120 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Farmington Hills, MI
$98
Nosara
$87 10.9% $11
Getting Around
Farmington Hills, MI
$90
Nosara
$87 3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,533 in Farmington Hills, MI and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Farmington Hills, MI pays 499% 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: $61.0 in Farmington Hills, MI vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $367 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Farmington Hills, MI
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
16:31 4:31 PM
14:31 2:31 PM
2 h behind Farmington Hills, MI
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
80,937
4,912
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Farmington Hills, MI Nosara 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Farmington Hills, MI
  • 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
Farmington Hills, MI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Farmington Hills, MI or Nosara?
Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Farmington Hills, MI. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Farmington Hills, MI or in Nosara?
Average pay runs 499% higher in Farmington Hills, MI, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Farmington Hills, MI compared to Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,533 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Farmington Hills, MI and in Nosara?
Childcare runs $1,630 in Farmington Hills, MI versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Farmington Hills, MI or in Nosara?
Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Farmington Hills, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Farmington Hills, MI or in Nosara?
At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,534 in Farmington Hills, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Farmington Hills, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Farmington Hills, MI or Nosara?
Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.
How safe is Farmington Hills, MI compared to Nosara?
Safety-wise, Farmington Hills, MI 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Farmington Hills, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Farmington Hills, MI vs other spots: cost of living compared

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