Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalispell, MT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,786 in Kalispell, MT, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Kalispell, MT
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Kalispell, MT Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kalispell, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,786

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,786 in Kalispell, MT versus $1,844 in Nosara.

Kalispell, MT $2,786
Nosara $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,415 in Kalispell, MT versus $2,817 in Nosara.

Kalispell, MT $4,415
Nosara $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,045 in Kalispell, MT versus $3,790 in Nosara.

Kalispell, MT $6,045
Nosara $3,790

Living in Kalispell, MT is roughly 51% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kalispell, MT 106% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.24 $30.24

$12.38 ₡5,568

144.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 $79.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

31.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 $13.62

$7.81 ₡3,513

74.39%

Cappuccino

$6.86 $6.86

$4.37 ₡1,966

56.98%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.78 ₡800

82.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.35 ₡605

89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.39 ₡1,526

72.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.31 ₡1,939

31.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.55 ₡699

-23.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.17 ₡1,425

49.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.51 ₡1,130

140.24%

Eggs

$5.43 $5.43

$3.53 ₡1,585

53.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 $15.57

$7.37 ₡3,313

111.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.72 $10.72

$10.46 ₡4,703

2.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.91 ₡6,255

9.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.26 ₡1,018

159.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.56 ₡701

82.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$4.70 ₡2,113

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$1.62 ₡729

302.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.88 ₡1,746

-14.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.79 ₡1,704

-49.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.07 ₡481

46.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.61 ₡1,174

30.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.17 $13.17

$5.16 ₡2,319

155.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$20.33 ₡9,143

-25.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.91 ₡1,310

26.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.67 ₡1,651

-2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₡984

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡829

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.65 $24.65

$7.81 ₡3,513

215.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.56 ₡702

-34.62%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-9.18%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-26.57%

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

$316 $316

$95.9 ₡43.1K

229.65%

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

$66.4 $66.4

$35.37 ₡15.9K

87.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.7 $83.7

$53.7 ₡24.1K

55.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.2 $93.2

$67.5 ₡30.3K

38.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 $14.77

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-58.31%

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$7.72 ₡3,473

94.69%

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

$1,153 $1,153

$496 ₡222.8K

132.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$54.6 ₡24.6K

14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$55.0 ₡24.7K

2.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$79.8 ₡35.9K

28.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 $97.4

$77.9 ₡35.0K

25.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 $1,388

$817 ₡367.5K

69.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$800 ₡359.7K

45.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,451 $2,451

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-36.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 $2,605

$1,396 ₡627.6K

86.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,609 $4,609

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-33.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,590 $4,590

$1,222 ₡549.6K

275.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,278 $3,278

$879 ₡395.3K

272.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

8.62

-20.30%

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

Last update for Kalispell, MT: November 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kalispell, MT

$1.2K 41.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 31% $360

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalispell, MT

$466 16.7%

Nosara

$185 10% 60.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Kalispell, MT

$464 16.6%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 24% $111

Eating Out

Kalispell, MT

$429 15.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 50.3% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Kalispell, MT

$144 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Kalispell, MT

$123 4.4%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 32.7% $40

Getting Around

Kalispell, MT

- * 0%

Nosara

$90 4.9%

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 $1,388 in Kalispell, MT and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalispell, MT pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Kalispell, MT vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $353 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kalispell, MT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

1 h ahead of Kalispell, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,052

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kalispell, MT Nosara 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalispell, MT
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

Kalispell, MT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kalispell, MT is about 3.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,388 in Kalispell, MT versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,153 in Kalispell, MT versus $496 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 versus $80 in Kalispell, MT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Kalispell, MT on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.