Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florence, SC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,245 in Florence, SC, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Florence, SC
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Florence, SC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Florence, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,245

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,245 in Florence, SC versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Florence, SC $2,245
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,233 in Florence, SC versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Florence, SC $3,233
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,220 in Florence, SC versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Florence, SC $4,220
Nosara $3,712

Living in Florence, SC is roughly 22% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Florence, SC 68% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$12.22 ₡5,509

25.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 $63.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

5.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 $10.92

$7.54 ₡3,399

44.83%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$4.31 ₡1,941

12.99%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$1.72 ₡773

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.35 ₡608

52.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.24 ₡1,459

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.48 ₡2,018

58.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.57 ₡707

-36.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.17 ₡1,429

28.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.42 ₡1,091

147.52%

Eggs

$5.15 $5.15

$3.57 ₡1,609

44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$7.43 ₡3,349

55.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 $14.75

$10.42 ₡4,697

41.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.97 $24.97

$13.66 ₡6,156

82.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$2.32 ₡1,044

175.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.61 ₡728

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.74 ₡2,138

50.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$1.66 ₡747

266.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.72 ₡1,679

11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.57 ₡1,611

71.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.10 ₡497

110.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.55 ₡1,149

21.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.95 ₡2,232

64.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 $14.27

$20.01 ₡9,020

-28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.79 ₡1,256

-28.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.53 ₡1,589

69.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 $7.21

$2.24 ₡1,011

221.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.55 ₡701

21.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.57 ₡708

-38.22%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.89%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.97%

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

$282 $282

$93.5 ₡42.1K

201.36%

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

$56.3 $56.3

$35.11 ₡15.8K

60.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 $40.45

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-21.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$7.84 ₡3,535

90.31%

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

$1,331 $1,331

$490 ₡220.7K

171.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.44 $40.44

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-24.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 $29.55

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-47.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$79.3 ₡35.7K

32.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 $71.2

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-9.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 $970

$786 ₡354.3K

23.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 $970

$780 ₡351.6K

24.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-62.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 $1,356

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-3.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,553 $1,553

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-77.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 $1,548

$1,201 ₡541.3K

28.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 $3,203

$876 ₡395.0K

265.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Florence, SC: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Florence, SC

$970 42.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 19.6% $191

Groceries & Markets

Florence, SC

$501 22%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 30.3% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florence, SC

$378 16.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 52.4% $198

Eating Out

Florence, SC

$272 11.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 22.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Florence, SC

$111 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 8.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Florence, SC

$30 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 192% $57

Getting Around

Florence, SC

$17 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 422% $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 $970 in Florence, SC and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Florence, SC pays 266% 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: $64.0 in Florence, SC vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $501 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Florence, SC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

2 h behind Florence, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,184

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Florence, SC Nosara 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Florence, SC
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

Florence, SC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Florence, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 266% higher in Florence, SC, 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: $970 in Florence, SC versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,331 in Florence, SC 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 $60.0 versus $64.0 in Florence, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,245 in Florence, SC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Florence, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Florence, SC 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 22% less than in Florence, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.