Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lansing, MI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,165 in Lansing, MI, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Lansing, MI
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Lansing, MI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lansing, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,165

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,165 in Lansing, MI versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Lansing, MI $2,165
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Lansing, MI versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Lansing, MI $3,137
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,110 in Lansing, MI versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Lansing, MI $4,110
Nosara $3,814

Living in Lansing, MI is roughly 18% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lansing, MI 60% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 $16.80

$12.34 ₡5,535

36.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

4.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$7.76 ₡3,481

54.38%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$4.44 ₡1,992

24.32%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.79 ₡803

59.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.29 ₡580

56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.24 ₡1,451

50.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$4.43 ₡1,985

39.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.55 ₡696

-45.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.08 ₡1,380

-1.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.53 ₡1,133

83.40%

Eggs

$2.71 $2.71

$3.45 ₡1,546

-21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$7.32 ₡3,284

53.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 $16.67

$14.10 ₡6,326

18.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.29 ₡1,027

45.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.64 ₡737

-7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.79 ₡2,149

-6.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.64 ₡735

121.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.85 ₡1,727

-35.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.75 ₡1,681

-20.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.09 ₡488

93.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.59 ₡1,160

-3.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.12 ₡2,295

92.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$19.92 ₡8,931

-21.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.80 ₡1,255

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.52 ₡1,580

-0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.22 ₡549

24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 $30.38

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-58.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.17 ₡973

35.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.56 ₡698

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 $10.02

$8.67 ₡3,886

15.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.77%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-35.08%

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

$231 $231

$94.8 ₡42.5K

143.86%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$36.15 ₡16.2K

65.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 $51.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-2.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.12 $28.12

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-61.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.30 $22.30

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-37.41%

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 $12.10

$7.91 ₡3,548

52.97%

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

$640 $640

$490 ₡219.9K

30.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.3K $32.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

172.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

1.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.96 $40.96

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$77.9 ₡34.9K

55.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 $1,063

$801 ₡359.1K

32.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$922 $922

$790 ₡354.1K

16.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 $1,556

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-61.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 $1,434

$1,409 ₡632.0K

1.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,615 $1,615

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-77.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 $1,508

$1,236 ₡554.3K

22.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,292 $3,292

$887 ₡397.6K

271.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.62

-24.71%

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

Last update for Lansing, MI: 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

Lansing, MI

$922 42.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 14.4% $133

Groceries & Markets

Lansing, MI

$373 17.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 6.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lansing, MI

$343 15.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 46.3% $159

Eating Out

Lansing, MI

$293 13.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 27.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Lansing, MI

$135 6.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 10.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lansing, MI

$52 2.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 71.3% $37

Getting Around

Lansing, MI

$47 2.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 88.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Lansing, MI and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lansing, MI pays 271% 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: $64.0 in Lansing, MI vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lansing, MI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

2 h behind Lansing, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,644

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Lansing, MI Nosara 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lansing, MI
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

Lansing, MI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lansing, MI and Nosara differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,165 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 271% higher in Lansing, MI, 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: $1,063 in Lansing, MI versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $64.0 in Lansing, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,165 per month in Lansing, MI versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,165 in Lansing, MI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lansing, MI. 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, Lansing, MI 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 18% less than in Lansing, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.