Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Collins, CO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
Learn more

Fort Collins, CO Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,844 in Nosara.

Fort Collins, CO $2,815
Nosara $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,967 in Fort Collins, CO versus $2,817 in Nosara.

Fort Collins, CO $3,967
Nosara $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,119 in Fort Collins, CO versus $3,790 in Nosara.

Fort Collins, CO $5,119
Nosara $3,790

Living in Fort Collins, CO is roughly 53% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Collins, CO 108% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 $22.17

$12.38 ₡5,568

79.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

33.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 $11.16

$7.81 ₡3,513

42.89%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$4.37 ₡1,966

43.71%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.78 ₡800

36.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.35 ₡605

54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.39 ₡1,526

107.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.31 ₡1,939

60.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡699

-32.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.17 ₡1,425

-9.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.51 ₡1,130

11.16%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$7.37 ₡3,313

48.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 $9.09

$10.46 ₡4,703

-13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.04 $19.04

$13.91 ₡6,255

36.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.26 ₡1,018

119.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.56 ₡701

1.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$4.70 ₡2,113

-1.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.62 ₡729

226.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.88 ₡1,746

-11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.79 ₡1,704

24.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.07 ₡481

111.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.61 ₡1,174

-34.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 $10.38

$5.16 ₡2,319

101.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.63 $16.63

$20.33 ₡9,143

-18.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.91 ₡1,310

-14.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.67 ₡1,651

-28.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.19 ₡984

15.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.84 ₡829

0.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.65 $24.65

$7.81 ₡3,513

215.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.56 ₡702

-31.41%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-15.54%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-32.52%

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

$211 $211

$95.9 ₡43.1K

119.86%

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

$56.0 $56.0

$35.37 ₡15.9K

58.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$53.7 ₡24.1K

31.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-25.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.35 $30.35

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-14.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 $12.12

$7.72 ₡3,473

56.99%

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

$1,294 $1,294

$496 ₡222.8K

161.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K $11.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-2.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$54.6 ₡24.6K

8.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 $68.1

$55.0 ₡24.7K

23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 $81.6

$79.8 ₡35.9K

2.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡35.0K

49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,876 $1,876

$817 ₡367.5K

129.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$800 ₡359.7K

88.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 $2,852

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 $2,194

$1,396 ₡627.6K

57.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,047 $4,047

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-42.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,856 $2,856

$1,222 ₡549.6K

133.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,357 $4,357

$879 ₡395.3K

395.55%

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 Fort Collins, CO: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.6%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 47% $710

Groceries & Markets

Fort Collins, CO

$382 13.6%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 7.8% $30

Eating Out

Fort Collins, CO

$353 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 39.7% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12%

Nosara

$185 10% 45.1% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Collins, CO

$146 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Collins, CO

$75 2.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 11.2% $8.3

Getting Around

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 663% $78

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 $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Collins, CO vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $353 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h ahead of Fort Collins, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,612

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Collins, CO Nosara 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Collins, CO
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

Fort Collins, CO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Fort Collins, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fort Collins, CO is about 5 times higher, 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: $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Fort Collins, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,815 per month in Fort Collins, CO versus $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value at $1,844 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fort Collins, CO and Nosara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Fort Collins, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.