Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kenansville, NC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,418 in Kenansville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kenansville, NC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Kenansville, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,418
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,418 per month in Kenansville, NC vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kenansville, NC $2,418
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,595 per month in Kenansville, NC vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kenansville, NC $3,595
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,772 per month in Kenansville, NC vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Kenansville, NC $4,772
  • Nosara $3,818

Kenansville, NC costs about 31% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kenansville, NC and Nosara sit above the global median – Kenansville, NC by 79%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.92 $17.92
$12.35 ₡5,539
45.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.2 $91.2
$61.2 ₡27.4K
49.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.81 $11.81
$7.52 ₡3,373
57.05%
Cappuccino
$5.85 $5.85
$4.41 ₡1,978
32.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 $2.79
$1.74 ₡780
60.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 $2.11
$1.31 ₡587
61.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.84 $5.84
$3.28 ₡1,471
78.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.14 $7.14
$4.47 ₡2,004
59.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 $0.99
$1.56 ₡701
-36.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 $3.08
$3.02 ₡1,355
1.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.26 $5.26
$2.51 ₡1,125
109.56%
Eggs
$2.90 $2.90
$3.57 ₡1,603
-18.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.27 $10.27
$7.43 ₡3,333
38.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.32 $6.32
$10.52 ₡4,717
-39.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.58 $12.58
$13.97 ₡6,265
-9.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.62 $2.62
$2.35 ₡1,052
11.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 $1.34
$1.61 ₡720
-16.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.46 $4.46
$4.80 ₡2,152
-7.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.19 $4.19
$1.61 ₡724
160.25%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 $2.33
$3.80 ₡1,703
-38.68%
Onion (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$3.69 ₡1,657
3.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.87 $1.87
$1.13 ₡507
65.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 $2.29
$2.66 ₡1,191
-13.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.16 $6.16
$5.18 ₡2,321
18.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.17 $8.17
$19.88 ₡8,916
-58.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 $1.85
$2.90 ₡1,300
-36.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 $2.20
$3.63 ₡1,626
-39.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.12 ₡504
98.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.71 $4.71
$2.14 ₡958
120.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 $1.33
$1.57 ₡703
-15.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.08 $20.08
$8.52 ₡3,823
135.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.52 ₡682
-35.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.8K $35.8K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
65.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-27.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$197 $197
$96.3 ₡43.2K
104.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.73 $39.73
$35.89 ₡16.1K
10.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.2 $65.2
$53.6 ₡24.0K
21.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.23 $41.23
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-42.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.84 $11.84
$7.89 ₡3,539
50.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$794 $794
$494 ₡221.6K
60.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K $15.9K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
34.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.60 $44.60
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-17.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.99 $47.99
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-13.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.5 $80.5
$77.9 ₡34.9K
3.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 $115
$79.6 ₡35.7K
44.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,593 $1,593
$788 ₡353.4K
102.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 $1,276
$794 ₡356.2K
60.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,501 $2,501
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-36.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,172 $2,172
$1,419 ₡636.5K
53.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,589 $2,589
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-62.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,342 $2,342
$1,224 ₡549.0K
91.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kenansville, NC
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
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 Kenansville, NC: 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
Kenansville, NC
$1.3K
Nosara
$794 37.8% $482
Groceries & Markets
Kenansville, NC
$313
Nosara
$352 12.6% $39
Eating Out
Kenansville, NC
$312
Nosara
$212 32.1% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kenansville, NC
$302
Nosara
$186 38.4% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Kenansville, NC
$130
Nosara
$120 7.3% $9.4
Sport & Entertainment
Kenansville, NC
$65
Nosara
$87 34.6% $22
Getting Around
Kenansville, NC
$20 *
Nosara
$87 331% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,593 in Kenansville, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Kenansville, NC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Kenansville, NC vs $352 in Nosara – so Kenansville, NC wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Kenansville, NC
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
12:55 12:55 PM
10:55 10:55 AM
2 h behind Kenansville, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
800
4,912
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kenansville, NC Nosara 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kenansville, NC
  • 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
Kenansville, NC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Kenansville, NC?
Yes – Kenansville, NC is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,626 per month in Kenansville, NC and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Kenansville, NC or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Kenansville, NC and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Kenansville, NC and in Nosara?
Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Kenansville, NC – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Kenansville, NC or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Kenansville, NC at $2,418. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kenansville, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kenansville, NC or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Kenansville, NC or Nosara?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kenansville, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Kenansville, NC vs other spots: cost of living compared

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