Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Walton Beach, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,162 in Fort Walton Beach, FL, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Fort Walton Beach, FL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Fort Walton Beach, FL
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Fort Walton Beach, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fort Walton Beach, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,162

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,162 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Walton Beach, FL $2,162
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,344 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Walton Beach, FL $3,344
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Fort Walton Beach, FL $4,526
Nosara $3,818

Fort Walton Beach, FL costs about 18% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fort Walton Beach, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Fort Walton Beach, FL by 60%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 $14.82

$12.35 ₡5,539

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

30.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 $10.38

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.03%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$4.41 ₡1,978

11.56%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.74 ₡780

50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.31 ₡587

54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.28 ₡1,471

49.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 $7.05

$4.47 ₡2,004

57.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.56 ₡701

-33.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.02 ₡1,355

-5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.51 ₡1,125

-19.52%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$3.57 ₡1,603

-15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 $11.40

$7.43 ₡3,333

53.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.52 ₡4,717

-6.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.01 $14.01

$13.97 ₡6,265

0.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.35 ₡1,052

51.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.61 ₡720

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$4.80 ₡2,152

-32.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.61 ₡724

78.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$3.80 ₡1,703

-62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.13 ₡507

54.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.66 ₡1,191

-43.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.20 $9.20

$5.18 ₡2,321

77.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$19.88 ₡8,916

-55.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.12 ₡504

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.66 $49.66

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-31.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.14 ₡958

186.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.57 ₡703

15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.52 $45.52

$8.52 ₡3,823

434.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 ₡682

-37.50%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

23.10%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.91%

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

$171 $171

$96.3 ₡43.2K

77.79%

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

$49.37 $49.37

$35.89 ₡16.1K

37.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

20.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.91 $46.91

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 $13.39

$7.89 ₡3,539

69.71%

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

$826 $826

$494 ₡221.6K

67.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K $13.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

14.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.36 $30.36

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.91 $19.91

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 $95.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$79.6 ₡35.7K

32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 $1,643

$788 ₡353.4K

108.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 $1,048

$794 ₡356.2K

31.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,842 $2,842

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-27.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 $2,008

$1,419 ₡636.5K

41.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,773 $4,773

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-30.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,224 ₡549.0K

317.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,269 $3,269

$864 ₡387.3K

278.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

8.62

-25.52%

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

Last update for Fort Walton Beach, FL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$1K 48.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 24.2% $254

Groceries & Markets

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$304 14%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 16.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$285 13.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 34.8% $99

Eating Out

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$266 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$113 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.2% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$74 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Fort Walton Beach, FL

$73 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 19.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,643 in Fort Walton Beach, FL versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 279% higher in Fort Walton Beach, FL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Fort Walton Beach, FL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Fort Walton Beach, FL vs $352 in Nosara – so Fort Walton Beach, FL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Walton Beach, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Fort Walton Beach, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,507

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

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Highest

Between locations

Fort Walton Beach, FL Nosara 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Walton Beach, FL
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 Walton Beach, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,162 in Fort Walton Beach, FL, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,244 per month in Fort Walton Beach, FL and $2,758 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Fort Walton Beach, FL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Fort Walton Beach, FL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Fort Walton Beach, FL at $2,162. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Walton Beach, FL 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,162 in Fort Walton Beach, FL. 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 Walton Beach, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.