Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lewiston, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,756 in Lewiston, ME, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ME
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Lewiston, ME Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lewiston, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,756

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,756 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $2,756
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,087 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $4,087
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,417 per month in Lewiston, ME vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Lewiston, ME $5,417
Nosara $3,712

Lewiston, ME costs about 50% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lewiston, ME and Nosara sit above the global median – Lewiston, ME by 106%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 $18.09

$12.22 ₡5,509

48.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$60.2 ₡27.1K

59.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 $13.58

$7.54 ₡3,399

80.11%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$4.31 ₡1,941

28.31%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.72 ₡773

69.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.35 ₡608

98.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.24 ₡1,459

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.48 ₡2,018

75.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.57 ₡707

-30.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.17 ₡1,429

27.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.42 ₡1,091

116.94%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$3.57 ₡1,609

35.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 $11.20

$7.43 ₡3,349

50.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$10.42 ₡4,697

36.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.58 $17.58

$13.66 ₡6,156

28.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$2.32 ₡1,044

190.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.61 ₡728

11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.74 ₡2,138

42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.66 ₡747

241.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.72 ₡1,679

-23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.57 ₡1,611

22.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.10 ₡497

165.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.55 ₡1,149

-7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$4.95 ₡2,232

79.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 $13.43

$20.01 ₡9,020

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.79 ₡1,256

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.53 ₡1,589

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.19 ₡537

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.24 ₡1,011

54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.55 ₡701

25.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.29 $27.29

$8.86 ₡3,993

208.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.57 ₡708

-31.21%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

71.58%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-23.32%

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

$322 $322

$93.5 ₡42.1K

244.69%

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

$106 $106

$35.11 ₡15.8K

201.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.4 $85.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

65.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.04 $44.04

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-38.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$7.84 ₡3,535

92.86%

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

$1,855 $1,855

$490 ₡220.7K

279.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K $29.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

148.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.18 $16.18

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-69.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 $38.05

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-31.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 $78.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 $99.9

$78.9 ₡35.6K

26.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$786 ₡354.3K

25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$780 ₡351.6K

66.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-35.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 $2,247

$1,407 ₡634.4K

59.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,545 $2,545

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-63.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,337 $2,337

$1,201 ₡541.3K

94.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Lewiston, ME: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lewiston, ME

$1.3K 46.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 39.8% $516

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lewiston, ME

$513 18.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 64.9% $333

Groceries & Markets

Lewiston, ME

$452 16.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 22.8% $103

Eating Out

Lewiston, ME

$314 11.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Lewiston, ME

$105 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 14.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lewiston, ME

$74 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.2% $13

Getting Around

Lewiston, ME

$22 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 298% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Lewiston, ME versus $786 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 $96.0 in Lewiston, ME versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $452 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

2 h behind Lewiston, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,226

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Lewiston, ME Nosara 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lewiston, ME
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

Lewiston, ME vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lewiston, ME is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,134 per month in Lewiston, ME and $2,756 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 $96.0 in Lewiston, ME and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Lewiston, ME, 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 $1,837, than in Lewiston, ME at $2,756. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewiston, ME 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, Lewiston, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.