Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln, NE and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,250 in Lincoln, NE, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln, NE
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Lincoln, NE Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lincoln, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,250

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,250 in Lincoln, NE versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Lincoln, NE $2,250
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,309 in Lincoln, NE versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Lincoln, NE $3,309
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,368 in Lincoln, NE versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Lincoln, NE $4,368
Nosara $3,712

Living in Lincoln, NE is roughly 22% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lincoln, NE 68% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$12.22 ₡5,509

65.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$60.2 ₡27.1K

30.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$7.54 ₡3,399

62.07%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.31 ₡1,941

26.68%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.72 ₡773

32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.35 ₡608

28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.24 ₡1,459

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.48 ₡2,018

103.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.57 ₡707

-44.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.17 ₡1,429

-2.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$2.42 ₡1,091

155.79%

Eggs

$4.60 $4.60

$3.57 ₡1,609

28.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$7.43 ₡3,349

56.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$10.42 ₡4,697

-19.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 $14.70

$13.66 ₡6,156

7.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$2.32 ₡1,044

185.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.61 ₡728

29.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.74 ₡2,138

22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.66 ₡747

152.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.72 ₡1,679

-7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.57 ₡1,611

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.10 ₡497

72.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.55 ₡1,149

3.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$4.95 ₡2,232

96.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.90 $16.90

$20.01 ₡9,020

-15.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.79 ₡1,256

-35.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.53 ₡1,589

-28.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.19 ₡537

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.02 $35.02

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-51.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.24 ₡1,011

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.55 ₡701

20.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.54 $34.54

$8.86 ₡3,993

289.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.57 ₡708

-33.76%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

62.90%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.89%

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

$142 $142

$93.5 ₡42.1K

52.10%

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

$48.30 $48.30

$35.11 ₡15.8K

37.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 $64.8

$51.5 ₡23.2K

25.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 $55.6

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-22.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.15 $26.15

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-26.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.88 $14.88

$7.84 ₡3,535

89.80%

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

$839 $839

$490 ₡220.7K

71.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.72 $48.72

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-9.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.40 $35.40

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-36.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$78.9 ₡35.6K

49.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 $1,083

$786 ₡354.3K

37.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$964 $964

$780 ₡351.6K

23.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 $1,608

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-58.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$1,407 ₡634.4K

3.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,853 $1,853

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-73.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,889 $1,889

$1,201 ₡541.3K

57.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,812 $3,812

$876 ₡395.0K

335.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

8.62

-26.10%

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

Last update for Lincoln, NE: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lincoln, NE

$964 43.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 19.1% $184

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln, NE

$398 18%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 12.3% $49

Eating Out

Lincoln, NE

$324 14.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 35.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln, NE

$255 11.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 29.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln, NE

$130 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 7.6% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln, NE

$85 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2% $1.7

Getting Around

Lincoln, NE

$56 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 54.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,083 in Lincoln, NE and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln, NE pays 335% 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: $79.0 in Lincoln, NE vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lincoln, NE

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

1 h behind Lincoln, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,348

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lincoln, NE Nosara 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln, NE
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

Lincoln, NE vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Lincoln, NE. 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 335% higher in Lincoln, NE, 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: $1,083 in Lincoln, NE 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 $79.0 in Lincoln, NE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,250 per month in Lincoln, NE versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,250 in Lincoln, NE, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lincoln, NE. 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, Lincoln, NE 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 22% less than in Lincoln, NE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.