Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Key West, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,808 in Key West, FL, rent and utilities included – about $35,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

233

Cost of Living Index in Key West, FL
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Key West, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Key West, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$4,808

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,808 per month in Key West, FL vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Key West, FL $4,808
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $7,043 per month in Key West, FL vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Key West, FL $7,043
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $9,278 per month in Key West, FL vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Key West, FL $9,278
Nosara $3,818

Key West, FL costs about 161% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Key West, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Key West, FL by 256%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 $22.31

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

60.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$7.52 ₡3,373

57.85%

Cappuccino

$4.56 $4.56

$4.41 ₡1,978

3.40%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$1.74 ₡780

29.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.31 ₡587

45.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.28 ₡1,471

78.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.47 ₡2,004

53.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ₡701

-36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.02 ₡1,355

21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.51 ₡1,125

168.53%

Eggs

$5.16 $5.16

$3.57 ₡1,603

44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$7.43 ₡3,333

56.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$10.52 ₡4,717

26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.97 $23.97

$13.97 ₡6,265

71.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.35 ₡1,052

104.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.61 ₡720

15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$4.80 ₡2,152

-23.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.61 ₡724

221.12%

Potato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.80 ₡1,703

56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.69 ₡1,657

-9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.13 ₡507

218.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.66 ₡1,191

-0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.18 ₡2,321

57.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 $14.18

$19.88 ₡8,916

-28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.12 ₡504

255.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.14 ₡958

82.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.57 ₡703

98.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.20 $30.20

$8.52 ₡3,823

254.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.52 ₡682

-40.13%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

68.83%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.13%

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

$215 $215

$96.3 ₡43.2K

123.42%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

51.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

36.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 $79.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

11.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$7.89 ₡3,539

78.07%

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

$1,090 $1,090

$494 ₡221.6K

120.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

74.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.58 $47.58

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-11.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.78 $41.78

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 $71.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.1 $69.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$788 ₡353.4K

336.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,432 $3,432

$794 ₡356.2K

332.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,122 $7,122

$3,939 ₡1.8M

80.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,144 $6,144

$1,419 ₡636.5K

332.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,644 $9,644

$6,912 ₡3.1M

39.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,886 $9,886

$1,224 ₡549.0K

707.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,967 $5,967

$864 ₡387.3K

591.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

8.62

-25.99%

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

Last update for Key West, FL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Key West, FL

$3.4K 71.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 76.9% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Key West, FL

$457 9.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 23% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Key West, FL

$343 7.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 45.8% $157

Eating Out

Key West, FL

$328 6.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35.5% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Key West, FL

$108 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Key West, FL

$104 2.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.9% $16

Getting Around

Key West, FL

$35 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 146% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,436 in Key West, FL 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.

Salaries run about 591% higher in Key West, FL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Key West, FL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Key West, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

2 h behind Key West, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,684

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Key West, FL Nosara 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Key West, FL
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

Key West, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Key West, FL is pricier by about 161%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,211 per month in Key West, FL and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Key West, FL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Key West, FL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Key West, FL at $4,808. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Key West, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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