Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,173 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,173

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,173 in Lexington, KY versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Lexington, KY $2,173
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Lexington, KY versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Lexington, KY $3,265
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Lexington, KY versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Lexington, KY $4,356
Nosara $3,712

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 18% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, KY 62% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.14 $13.14

$12.22 ₡5,509

7.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 $57.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-4.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$7.54 ₡3,399

21.22%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$4.31 ₡1,941

19.03%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.72 ₡773

47.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.35 ₡608

52.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.24 ₡1,459

54.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.48 ₡2,018

33.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.57 ₡707

-50.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.17 ₡1,429

-9.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.42 ₡1,091

64.46%

Eggs

$3.68 $3.68

$3.57 ₡1,609

3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$7.43 ₡3,349

37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$10.42 ₡4,697

-2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 $14.52

$13.66 ₡6,156

6.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.32 ₡1,044

136.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.61 ₡728

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$4.74 ₡2,138

15.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.66 ₡747

165.66%

Potato (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.72 ₡1,679

11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.57 ₡1,611

-14.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.10 ₡497

89.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.55 ₡1,149

24.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.44 $8.44

$4.95 ₡2,232

70.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 $13.02

$20.01 ₡9,020

-34.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.79 ₡1,256

-3.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.53 ₡1,589

22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.19 ₡537

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 $29.70

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-58.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.24 ₡1,011

119.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡708

-36.31%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

69.82%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-27.10%

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

$188 $188

$93.5 ₡42.1K

101.34%

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

$106 $106

$35.11 ₡15.8K

202.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$51.5 ₡23.2K

44.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 $39.07

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-45.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.41 $30.41

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-14.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 $15.25

$7.84 ₡3,535

94.52%

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

$2,222 $2,222

$490 ₡220.7K

353.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

109.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 $31.32

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-43.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$79.3 ₡35.7K

48.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$78.9 ₡35.6K

91.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$786 ₡354.3K

45.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 $929

$780 ₡351.6K

19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 $2,058

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-46.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$1,407 ₡634.4K

12.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,118 $2,118

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-69.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,077 $2,077

$1,201 ₡541.3K

72.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,029 $4,029

$876 ₡395.0K

359.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$929 42.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 16.1% $149

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$386 17.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 9.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$369 16.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 51.2% $189

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$249 11.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 16% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 23.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$70 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.2% $18

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 124% $48

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 $1,147 in Lexington, KY and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays 360% 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: $57.0 in Lexington, KY vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

2 h behind Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Nosara 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Lexington, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 360% higher in Lexington, KY, 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: $1,147 in Lexington, KY versus $786 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 $60.0 versus $57.0 in Lexington, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,173 per month in Lexington, KY versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,173 in Lexington, KY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lexington, KY. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,837 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lexington, KY 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 Lexington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.