Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnstown, PA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Johnstown, PA: $1,657 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Johnstown, PA
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Johnstown, PA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Johnstown, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,657

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,657 per month in Johnstown, PA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Johnstown, PA $1,657
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Johnstown, PA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Johnstown, PA $2,417
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,177 per month in Johnstown, PA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Johnstown, PA $3,177
Nosara $3,814

Johnstown, PA is about 10% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Johnstown, PA and Nosara sit above the global median – Johnstown, PA by 22%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 $13.58

$12.34 ₡5,535

10.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.60 $39.60

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-35.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 $7.19

$7.76 ₡3,481

-7.35%

Cappuccino

$6.34 $6.34

$4.44 ₡1,992

42.79%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.79 ₡803

51.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.29 ₡580

101.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.24 ₡1,451

21.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.55 ₡696

-20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.08 ₡1,380

-54.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.50 $7.50

$2.53 ₡1,133

196.44%

Eggs

$5.32 $5.32

$3.45 ₡1,546

54.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$7.32 ₡3,284

126.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$10.24 ₡4,594

-54.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$14.10 ₡6,326

33.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.29 ₡1,027

114.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.64 ₡737

-19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$4.79 ₡2,149

34.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.64 ₡735

71.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$3.85 ₡1,727

-75.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.75 ₡1,681

-46.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.09 ₡488

96.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.59 ₡1,160

4.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$5.12 ₡2,295

94.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.80 ₡1,255

-38.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.52 ₡1,580

41.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡697

-38.06%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.57%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.13%

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

$147 $147

$94.8 ₡42.5K

55.37%

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

$14.88 $14.88

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-58.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

31.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.40 $36.40

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-50.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.26 $9.26

$7.91 ₡3,548

17.07%

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

$2,258 $2,258

$490 ₡219.9K

360.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.2K $60.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

406.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.37 $47.37

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-13.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.50 $36.50

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-34.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$80.4 ₡36.0K

34.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$77.9 ₡34.9K

56.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 $643

$801 ₡359.1K

-19.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 $594

$790 ₡354.1K

-24.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 $900

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-77.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 $935

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-33.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$829 $829

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-88.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$836 $836

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-32.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,182 $2,182

$887 ₡397.6K

146.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

8.62

-22.04%

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

Last update for Johnstown, PA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johnstown, PA

$594 35.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 32.9% $195

Groceries & Markets

Johnstown, PA

$376 22.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 6.9% $26

Eating Out

Johnstown, PA

$259 15.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 17.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnstown, PA

$232 14%

Nosara

$184 10% 20.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Johnstown, PA

$141 8.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 14.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Johnstown, PA

$55 3.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 63.2% $35

Getting Around

Johnstown, PA

- * 0%

Nosara

$89 4.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $643 in Johnstown, PA 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.

Salaries run about 146% higher in Johnstown, PA, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Johnstown, PA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $376 in Johnstown, PA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnstown, PA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h behind Johnstown, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,269

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

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Highest

Between locations

Johnstown, PA Nosara 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Johnstown, PA
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

Johnstown, PA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,485 per month in Johnstown, PA 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 Johnstown, PA, 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 $1,657 in Johnstown, PA and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $2,258 per month in Johnstown, PA and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Johnstown, PA, where all-in costs run around $1,657, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Johnstown, PA it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Johnstown, PA – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Johnstown, PA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.