Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joliet, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,572 in Joliet, IL, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Joliet, IL
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Joliet, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Joliet, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,572 in Joliet, IL versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Joliet, IL $2,572
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,769 in Joliet, IL versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Joliet, IL $3,769
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,967 in Joliet, IL versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Joliet, IL $4,967
Nosara $3,814

Living in Joliet, IL is roughly 40% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Joliet, IL 90% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.77 $18.77

$12.34 ₡5,535

52.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

22.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

41.11%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$4.44 ₡1,992

17.57%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.79 ₡803

37.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.29 ₡580

54.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.24 ₡1,451

88.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.43 ₡1,985

58.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡696

-32.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.08 ₡1,380

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.53 ₡1,133

73.91%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$3.45 ₡1,546

23.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 $12.50

$7.32 ₡3,284

70.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 $11.49

$10.24 ₡4,594

12.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 $15.28

$14.10 ₡6,326

8.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.29 ₡1,027

113.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.64 ₡737

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.79 ₡2,149

-11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.64 ₡735

191.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.75 ₡1,681

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.09 ₡488

89.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.59 ₡1,160

-15.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 $9.66

$5.12 ₡2,295

88.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.80 $13.80

$19.92 ₡8,931

-30.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.52 ₡1,580

-3.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.22 ₡549

67.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.17 ₡973

65.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.56 ₡698

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.95 $28.95

$8.67 ₡3,886

233.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.55 ₡697

-41.29%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.70%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.14%

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

$186 $186

$94.8 ₡42.5K

95.68%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$36.15 ₡16.2K

47.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.6 $66.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

25.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 $42.59

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.61 $13.61

$7.91 ₡3,548

72.06%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$490 ₡219.9K

161.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

100.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-7.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.24 $39.24

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$77.9 ₡34.9K

43.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 $1,619

$801 ₡359.1K

102.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 $1,352

$790 ₡354.1K

71.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-35.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 $2,250

$1,409 ₡632.0K

59.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 $2,825

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,236 ₡554.3K

101.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Joliet, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joliet, IL

$1.4K 52.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 41.6% $562

Groceries & Markets

Joliet, IL

$388 15.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 9.8% $38

Eating Out

Joliet, IL

$308 12%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 31% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joliet, IL

$305 11.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 39.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Joliet, IL

$129 5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.5% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Joliet, IL

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Joliet, IL

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 350% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,619 in Joliet, IL and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Joliet, IL vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Joliet, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

1 h behind Joliet, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,362

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Joliet, IL Nosara 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Joliet, IL
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

Joliet, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Joliet, IL and Nosara differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,572 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,857 in Joliet, IL and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,619 in Joliet, IL versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,282 in Joliet, IL versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $75.0 in Joliet, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,572 in Joliet, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Joliet, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Joliet, IL 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 40% less than in Joliet, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.