Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Janesville, WI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,656 in Janesville, WI, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Janesville, WI
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Janesville, WI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Janesville, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,656

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,656 per month in Janesville, WI vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Janesville, WI $2,656
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,942 per month in Janesville, WI vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Janesville, WI $3,942
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,229 per month in Janesville, WI vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Janesville, WI $5,229
Nosara $3,818

Janesville, WI costs about 44% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Janesville, WI and Nosara sit above the global median – Janesville, WI by 97%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 $21.23

$12.35 ₡5,539

71.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.8 $91.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

49.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 $12.85

$7.52 ₡3,373

70.88%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$4.41 ₡1,978

26.53%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.74 ₡780

50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.31 ₡587

77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.28 ₡1,471

118.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.05 $9.05

$4.47 ₡2,004

102.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.56 ₡701

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.02 ₡1,355

-40.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.51 ₡1,125

105.58%

Eggs

$4.92 $4.92

$3.57 ₡1,603

37.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$7.43 ₡3,333

91.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

37.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 $18.68

$13.97 ₡6,265

33.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.35 ₡1,052

119.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.61 ₡720

23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$4.80 ₡2,152

-11.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.61 ₡724

196.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-29.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.69 ₡1,657

-25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.13 ₡507

99.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.66 ₡1,191

17.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.18 ₡2,321

94.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$19.88 ₡8,916

-23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.90 ₡1,300

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.63 ₡1,626

-4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.12 ₡504

73.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.14 ₡958

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.57 ₡703

-11.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.49 $24.49

$8.52 ₡3,823

187.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.52 ₡682

-21.71%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

68.83%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.21%

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

$190 $190

$96.3 ₡43.2K

97.82%

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

$67.8 $67.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

88.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

13.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.08 $42.08

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-41.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 $17.67

$7.89 ₡3,539

123.95%

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

$1,562 $1,562

$494 ₡221.6K

216.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

164.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 $66.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

23.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 $99.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$79.6 ₡35.7K

77.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 $1,600

$788 ₡353.4K

103.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 $1,306

$794 ₡356.2K

64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 $2,156

$1,419 ₡636.5K

51.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 $2,706

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-60.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,445 $2,445

$1,224 ₡549.0K

99.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,717 $3,717

$864 ₡387.3K

330.41%

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 Janesville, WI: 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

Janesville, WI

$1.3K 49.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 39.2% $512

Groceries & Markets

Janesville, WI

$425 16%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 17.2% $73

Eating Out

Janesville, WI

$349 13.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Janesville, WI

$319 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Janesville, WI

$161 6.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Janesville, WI

$77 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 12.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Janesville, WI

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 384% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Janesville, WI 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 330% higher in Janesville, WI, 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 $92.0 in Janesville, WI versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $425 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Janesville, WI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h behind Janesville, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,575

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

Janesville, WI Nosara 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Janesville, WI
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

Janesville, WI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,656 in Janesville, WI, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,984 per month in Janesville, WI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Janesville, WI 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 21% more in Janesville, WI, 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 $1,839, than in Janesville, WI at $2,656. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Janesville, WI 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 $2,656 in Janesville, WI. 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, Janesville, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.