Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilton Head Island, SC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,953 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hilton Head Island, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hilton Head Island, SC
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Hilton Head Island, SC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hilton Head Island, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,953

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,953 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Hilton Head Island, SC $2,953
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,700 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Hilton Head Island, SC $2,700
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,446 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Hilton Head Island, SC $2,446
Nosara $3,818

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 61% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hilton Head Island, SC and Nosara sit above the global median – Hilton Head Island, SC by 119%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 $19.64

$12.35 ₡5,539

59.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 $58.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 $11.63

$7.52 ₡3,373

54.65%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

13.83%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.74 ₡780

75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.31 ₡587

49.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.28 ₡1,471

55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.47 ₡2,004

38.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.56 ₡701

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.02 ₡1,355

8.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.51 ₡1,125

45.42%

Eggs

$2.86 $2.86

$3.57 ₡1,603

-19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$7.43 ₡3,333

17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 $9.93

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$13.97 ₡6,265

-6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.35 ₡1,052

94.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.61 ₡720

-7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.80 ₡2,152

-18.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.61 ₡724

195.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.69 ₡1,657

-14.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.13 ₡507

128.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.66 ₡1,191

-7.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.76 $9.76

$5.18 ₡2,321

88.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 $15.01

$19.88 ₡8,916

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.63 ₡1,626

-10.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.14 ₡958

-30.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 ₡703

-28.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.94 $13.94

$8.52 ₡3,823

63.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.52 ₡682

-40.13%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.16%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.04%

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

$210 $210

$96.3 ₡43.2K

117.98%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

54.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

25.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.17 $20.17

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-71.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$7.89 ₡3,539

86.82%

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

$1,306 $1,306

$494 ₡221.6K

164.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-0.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.04 $35.04

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-35.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-37.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 $80.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 $70.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,154 $2,154

$788 ₡353.4K

173.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$794 ₡356.2K

126.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 $2,323

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-41.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 $3,740

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-45.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,643 $3,643

$1,224 ₡549.0K

197.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,469 $3,469

$864 ₡387.3K

301.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Hilton Head Island, SC: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilton Head Island, SC

$1.8K 60.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 55.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Hilton Head Island, SC

$355 12%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 0.7% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilton Head Island, SC

$333 11.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 44.2% $147

Eating Out

Hilton Head Island, SC

$310 10.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 31.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Hilton Head Island, SC

$99 3.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hilton Head Island, SC

$50 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 76% $38

Getting Around

Hilton Head Island, SC

$7.1 * 0.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1130% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,154 in Hilton Head Island, SC 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 302% higher in Hilton Head Island, SC, 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 $59.0 in Hilton Head Island, SC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $355 in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hilton Head Island, SC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

2 h behind Hilton Head Island, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,512

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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Between locations

Hilton Head Island, SC Nosara 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hilton Head Island, 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

Hilton Head Island, SC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 61% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,430 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,953 in Hilton Head Island, SC and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 61%.

Kindergarten costs $1,306 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Hilton Head Island, SC at $2,953. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilton Head Island, SC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,953 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Hilton Head Island, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.