Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
Learn more

Fort Madison, IA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Nosara $3,814

Fort Madison, IA costs about 39% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Nosara sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$12.34 ₡5,535

60.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

24.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$7.76 ₡3,481

46.91%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$4.44 ₡1,992

23.65%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.79 ₡803

46.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.29 ₡580

53.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.24 ₡1,451

89.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.43 ₡1,985

66.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡696

-32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.08 ₡1,380

12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.53 ₡1,133

69.96%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.45 ₡1,546

20.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$7.32 ₡3,284

72.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$10.24 ₡4,594

10.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.29 ₡1,027

113.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.64 ₡737

-3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$4.79 ₡2,149

-11.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.64 ₡735

193.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.85 ₡1,727

-26.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.75 ₡1,681

-21.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.09 ₡488

96.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.59 ₡1,160

-14.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.12 ₡2,295

97.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.80 ₡1,255

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.52 ₡1,580

-14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.22 ₡549

86.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.17 ₡973

53.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.56 ₡698

12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$8.67 ₡3,886

265.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡697

-40.65%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.14%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-38.54%

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

$201 $201

$94.8 ₡42.5K

112.44%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

63.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

33.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$7.91 ₡3,548

78.76%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$490 ₡219.9K

193.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

99.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-1.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$77.9 ₡34.9K

47.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$801 ₡359.1K

97.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$790 ₡354.1K

63.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,409 ₡632.0K

51.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-65.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,236 ₡554.3K

109.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Fort Madison, IA: 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

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.7% $498

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Nosara

$184 10% 44.5% $147

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 34% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 29.3% $20

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 318% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

1 h behind Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Nosara 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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 Madison, IA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Fort Madison, IA, 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 Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.