Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kearney, NE and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,083 in Kearney, NE, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,083

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,083 in Kearney, NE versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Kearney, NE $2,083
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,931 in Kearney, NE versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Kearney, NE $2,931
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,780 in Kearney, NE versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Kearney, NE $3,780
Nosara $3,814

Living in Kearney, NE is roughly 14% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kearney, NE 54% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$12.34 ₡5,535

23.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$7.76 ₡3,481

52.96%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$4.44 ₡1,992

15.32%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$1.79 ₡803

17.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.29 ₡580

43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.24 ₡1,451

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.43 ₡1,985

15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.55 ₡696

-43.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.08 ₡1,380

-45.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.53 ₡1,133

45.45%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$3.45 ₡1,546

6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 $8.79

$7.32 ₡3,284

20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$10.24 ₡4,594

-36.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$14.10 ₡6,326

9.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.29 ₡1,027

137.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.64 ₡737

29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.79 ₡2,149

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.64 ₡735

161.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$3.85 ₡1,727

-50.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.75 ₡1,681

-20.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.09 ₡488

84.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.59 ₡1,160

13.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.02 $9.02

$5.12 ₡2,295

76.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.80 ₡1,255

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.52 ₡1,580

-43.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.17 ₡973

37.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡698

-14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.73 $24.73

$8.67 ₡3,886

185.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡697

-34.19%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-29.70%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.01%

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

$273 $273

$94.8 ₡42.5K

188.02%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

72.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

38.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 $56.1

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.94 $5.94

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-83.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.42 $12.42

$7.91 ₡3,548

57.02%

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

$992 $992

$490 ₡219.9K

102.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

61.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.42 $29.42

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-46.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.22 $39.22

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 $95.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

18.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$77.9 ₡34.9K

56.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 $1,018

$801 ₡359.1K

27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 $850

$790 ₡354.1K

7.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-62.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 $1,224

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-13.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,619 $1,619

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-77.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,236 ₡554.3K

28.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,554 $7,554

$887 ₡397.6K

752.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Kearney, NE: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kearney, NE

$850 40.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 7.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kearney, NE

$409 19.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 55% $225

Groceries & Markets

Kearney, NE

$339 16.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 3.2% $11

Eating Out

Kearney, NE

$266 12.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 20% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.1% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kearney, NE

$81 3.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 10.8% $8.7

Getting Around

Kearney, NE

$9.7 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 815% $79

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 $1,018 in Kearney, NE and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kearney, NE pays 752% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Kearney, NE vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $350 per month, with Kearney, NE cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Kearney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,385

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

Kearney, NE Nosara 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kearney, NE
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

Kearney, NE vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kearney, NE and Nosara differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,083 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 752% higher in Kearney, NE, 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: $1,018 in Kearney, NE versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kearney, NE pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,083 per month in Kearney, NE versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,083 in Kearney, NE, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Kearney, NE. 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, Kearney, NE 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 14% less than in Kearney, NE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.