Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, MA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,672 in Lexington, MA, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,672

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,672 in Lexington, MA versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Lexington, MA $2,672
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,542 in Lexington, MA versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Lexington, MA $4,542
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,412 in Lexington, MA versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Lexington, MA $6,412
Nosara $3,814

Living in Lexington, MA is roughly 46% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, MA 97% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 $20.23

$12.34 ₡5,535

63.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

20.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.84 $15.84

$7.76 ₡3,481

104.12%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$4.44 ₡1,992

10.14%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.79 ₡803

59.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.29 ₡580

58.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.24 ₡1,451

110.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$4.43 ₡1,985

80.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.55 ₡696

-24.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.08 ₡1,380

27.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.53 ₡1,133

86.56%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.45 ₡1,546

21.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$7.32 ₡3,284

72.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$10.24 ₡4,594

23.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.29 ₡1,027

88.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.64 ₡737

11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.79 ₡2,149

-5.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.64 ₡735

215.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.85 ₡1,727

-37.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.75 ₡1,681

-21.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.09 ₡488

82.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.59 ₡1,160

-14.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$5.12 ₡2,295

66.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$19.92 ₡8,931

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.80 ₡1,255

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.52 ₡1,580

-2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.22 ₡549

80.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.17 ₡973

25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.56 ₡698

11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 $28.81

$8.67 ₡3,886

232.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡697

-32.90%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.70%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-27.49%

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

$189 $189

$94.8 ₡42.5K

99.50%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$36.15 ₡16.2K

63.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

32.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.12 $42.12

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$7.91 ₡3,548

76.11%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$490 ₡219.9K

185.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

98.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 $36.47

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-34.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 $88.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 $1,530

$801 ₡359.1K

91.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$790 ₡354.1K

74.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 $2,878

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-28.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,564 $3,564

$1,409 ₡632.0K

152.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$1,236 ₡554.3K

90.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Lexington, MA: 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

Lexington, MA

$1.4K 51.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 42.8% $590

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, MA

$413 15.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 15.2% $63

Eating Out

Lexington, MA

$338 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 37% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, MA

$319 11.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 42.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, MA

$133 5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, MA

$70 2.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.1% $20

Getting Around

Lexington, MA

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 339% $69

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 $1,530 in Lexington, MA and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Lexington, MA vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, MA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h behind Lexington, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lexington, MA Nosara 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lexington, MA and Nosara differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,672 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,007 in Lexington, MA and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,530 in Lexington, MA versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Lexington, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,672 per month in Lexington, MA versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,672 in Lexington, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lexington, MA. 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, Lexington, MA 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 46% less than in Lexington, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.