Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fenton, MI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,288 in Fenton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Fenton, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Fenton, MI
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Fenton, MI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fenton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,288

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,288 in Fenton, MI versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Fenton, MI $2,288
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,373 in Fenton, MI versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Fenton, MI $3,373
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Fenton, MI versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Fenton, MI $4,459
Nosara $3,814

Living in Fenton, MI is roughly 25% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fenton, MI 69% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$12.34 ₡5,535

59.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$61.3 ₡27.5K

21.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$7.76 ₡3,481

28.35%

Cappuccino

$4.41 $4.41

$4.44 ₡1,992

-0.68%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.79 ₡803

62.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.29 ₡580

36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.24 ₡1,451

79.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 $6.45

$4.43 ₡1,985

45.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.55 ₡696

-51.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.08 ₡1,380

-30.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.53 ₡1,133

7.91%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$3.45 ₡1,546

19.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$7.32 ₡3,284

-10.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$10.24 ₡4,594

-58.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$14.10 ₡6,326

-21.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.29 ₡1,027

-2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.64 ₡737

-18.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$4.79 ₡2,149

-53.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.64 ₡735

16.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.85 ₡1,727

-70.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$3.75 ₡1,681

-80.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.09 ₡488

-33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.59 ₡1,160

-43.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.43 $10.43

$5.12 ₡2,295

103.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 $9.83

$19.92 ₡8,931

-50.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.80 ₡1,255

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.52 ₡1,580

-28.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.22 ₡549

87.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.17 ₡973

113.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.56 ₡698

25.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.67 $31.67

$8.67 ₡3,886

265.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡697

-34.19%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.85%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.81%

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

$129 $129

$94.8 ₡42.5K

36.46%

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

$39.66 $39.66

$36.15 ₡16.2K

9.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.5 $59.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.74 $41.74

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 $13.33

$7.91 ₡3,548

68.52%

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

$917 $917

$490 ₡219.9K

87.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

77.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.66 $40.66

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-25.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.2 $77.2

$55.9 ₡25.1K

38.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$80.4 ₡36.0K

25.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡34.9K

49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 $1,615

$801 ₡359.1K

101.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$790 ₡354.1K

63.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 $1,679

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-58.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,409 ₡632.0K

53.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-59.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,646 $2,646

$1,236 ₡554.3K

114.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,900 $4,900

$887 ₡397.6K

452.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Fenton, MI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fenton, MI

$1.3K 56.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.7% $498

Eating Out

Fenton, MI

$301 13.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 29.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fenton, MI

$229 10%

Nosara

$184 10% 19.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Fenton, MI

$228 10%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 53.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Fenton, MI

$151 6.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Fenton, MI

$68 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 31% $21

Getting Around

Fenton, MI

$24 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 275% $65

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 $1,615 in Fenton, MI and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fenton, MI pays 453% 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: $74.0 in Fenton, MI vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $350, with Fenton, MI cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fenton, MI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

2 h behind Fenton, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,000

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

Fenton, MI Nosara 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fenton, 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

Fenton, MI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 453% higher in Fenton, MI, 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: $1,615 in Fenton, MI versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Fenton, MI 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 $74.0 in Fenton, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,288 in Fenton, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Fenton, MI. 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 Fenton, MI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fenton, 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.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Fenton, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.