Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macomb, MI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,531 in Macomb, MI, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Macomb, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,531

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,531 per month in Macomb, MI vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Macomb, MI $2,531
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,697 per month in Macomb, MI vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Macomb, MI $3,697
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,862 per month in Macomb, MI vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Macomb, MI $4,862
Nosara $3,814

Macomb, MI costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Macomb, MI and Nosara sit above the global median – Macomb, MI by 87%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 $20.33

$12.34 ₡5,535

64.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

21.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 $11.28

$7.76 ₡3,481

45.36%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.44 ₡1,992

21.40%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.79 ₡803

46.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.29 ₡580

50.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.24 ₡1,451

80.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.43 ₡1,985

60.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡696

-42.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.08 ₡1,380

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.53 ₡1,133

88.54%

Eggs

$4.62 $4.62

$3.45 ₡1,546

33.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$7.32 ₡3,284

90.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 $11.80

$10.24 ₡4,594

15.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.10 ₡6,326

6.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.29 ₡1,027

92.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.64 ₡737

-14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$4.79 ₡2,149

1.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.64 ₡735

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.85 ₡1,727

-30.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.75 ₡1,681

-24.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.09 ₡488

77.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.59 ₡1,160

-25.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.56 $8.56

$5.12 ₡2,295

67.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.80 ₡1,255

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.52 ₡1,580

1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.22 ₡549

60.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.17 ₡973

53.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.56 ₡698

4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.91 $33.91

$8.67 ₡3,886

291.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.55 ₡697

-27.10%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.57%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-39.32%

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

$204 $204

$94.8 ₡42.5K

114.76%

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

$60.3 $60.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

66.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

13.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.14 $38.14

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-48.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 $11.91

$7.91 ₡3,548

50.57%

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

$1,590 $1,590

$490 ₡219.9K

224.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K $21.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

82.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.31 $45.31

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-17.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 $39.46

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 $90.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$77.9 ₡34.9K

52.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 $1,603

$801 ₡359.1K

100.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$790 ₡354.1K

61.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 $2,144

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-46.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,088 $2,088

$1,409 ₡632.0K

48.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,776 $2,776

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,236 ₡554.3K

95.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Macomb, 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

Macomb, MI

$1.3K 50.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.1% $485

Groceries & Markets

Macomb, MI

$396 15.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macomb, MI

$324 12.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.2% $140

Eating Out

Macomb, MI

$323 12.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 34.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Macomb, MI

$132 5.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Macomb, MI

$62 2.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 44.6% $28

Getting Around

Macomb, MI

$19 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 361% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,603 in Macomb, MI versus $801 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 $74.0 in Macomb, MI versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Macomb, MI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h behind Macomb, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,516

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

Macomb, MI Nosara 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Macomb, 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

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

Yes – Macomb, MI is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,796 per month in Macomb, MI and $2,753 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,531 in Macomb, MI and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 38%.

Kindergarten costs $1,590 per month in Macomb, MI and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Macomb, MI at $2,531. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Macomb, MI 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, Macomb, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.