Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
Learn more

Fort Smith, AR Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,978

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Fort Smith, AR $1,978
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,030 in Fort Smith, AR versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Fort Smith, AR $3,030
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,081 in Fort Smith, AR versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Fort Smith, AR $4,081
Nosara $3,818

Living in Fort Smith, AR is roughly 8% 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 Smith, AR 47% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 $20.37

$12.35 ₡5,539

64.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 $65.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

6.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 $11.35

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.93%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.41 ₡1,978

21.32%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.74 ₡780

32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.31 ₡587

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.28 ₡1,471

86.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.09 $9.09

$4.47 ₡2,004

103.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.56 ₡701

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.02 ₡1,355

13.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.51 ₡1,125

46.22%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$3.57 ₡1,603

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 $7.37

$7.43 ₡3,333

-0.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$10.52 ₡4,717

3.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.62 $19.62

$13.97 ₡6,265

40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.35 ₡1,052

110.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.61 ₡720

-11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$4.80 ₡2,152

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.61 ₡724

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.69 ₡1,657

-57.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.13 ₡507

60.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.66 ₡1,191

-15.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$5.18 ₡2,321

55.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.13 $14.13

$19.88 ₡8,916

-28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.63 ₡1,626

-30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.12 ₡504

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.56 $35.56

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-51.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.14 ₡958

27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.57 ₡703

-18.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.11 $30.11

$8.52 ₡3,823

253.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.52 ₡682

-48.03%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

18.15%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.15%

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

$274 $274

$96.3 ₡43.2K

184.68%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

96.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

27.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.02 $27.02

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-62.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.73 $15.73

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.94%

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 $13.27

$7.89 ₡3,539

68.19%

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

$890 $890

$494 ₡221.6K

80.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

101.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.60 $41.60

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 $93.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

20.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.1 $77.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 $681

$788 ₡353.4K

-13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 $668

$794 ₡356.2K

-15.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 $1,500

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-61.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 $1,328

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-6.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,547 $1,547

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-77.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,540 $1,540

$1,224 ₡549.0K

25.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$864 ₡387.3K

252.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

8.62

-25.99%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Smith, AR

$668 33.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 18.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$413 20.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 55% $227

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$347 17.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.6% $5.7

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$328 16.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$119 6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 63.1% $34

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$50 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 74.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $681 in Fort Smith, AR and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays 252% 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: $65.0 in Fort Smith, AR vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $347 vs $352, with Fort Smith, AR cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

1 h behind Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

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 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Smith, AR Nosara 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, AR
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 Smith, AR vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Fort Smith, AR. 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 252% higher in Fort Smith, AR, 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: $681 in Fort Smith, AR versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,978 per month in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 104% less than in Fort Smith, AR. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Fort Smith, AR. 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 $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fort Smith, AR 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 8% less than in Fort Smith, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.