Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manchester, NH and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,859 in Manchester, NH, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Manchester, NH
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Manchester, NH Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Manchester, NH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,859

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,859 in Manchester, NH versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Manchester, NH $2,859
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,150 in Manchester, NH versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Manchester, NH $4,150
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,440 in Manchester, NH versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Manchester, NH $5,440
Nosara $3,818

Living in Manchester, NH is roughly 55% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Manchester, NH 112% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.99 $26.99

$12.35 ₡5,539

118.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

30.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$7.52 ₡3,373

43.75%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$4.41 ₡1,978

24.72%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.74 ₡780

40.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.31 ₡587

51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.28 ₡1,471

78.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.47 ₡2,004

52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.02 ₡1,355

-4.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.51 ₡1,125

87.25%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$3.57 ₡1,603

35.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 $9.96

$7.43 ₡3,333

34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.52 ₡4,717

4.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.83 $19.83

$13.97 ₡6,265

41.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.83 $5.83

$2.35 ₡1,052

148.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.61 ₡720

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$4.80 ₡2,152

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$1.61 ₡724

272.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.80 ₡1,703

-35.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.69 ₡1,657

-13.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.13 ₡507

85.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.66 ₡1,191

-13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$5.18 ₡2,321

94.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.90 ₡1,300

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 $4.99

$3.63 ₡1,626

37.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.12 ₡504

75.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-15.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.14 ₡958

46.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.57 ₡703

15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.37 $30.37

$8.52 ₡3,823

256.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.52 ₡682

-38.16%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

57.69%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.16%

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

$235 $235

$96.3 ₡43.2K

144.33%

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

$63.1 $63.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

75.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.30 $42.30

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-40.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.65 $40.65

$34.91 ₡15.7K

16.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.61 $11.61

$7.89 ₡3,539

47.15%

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

$1,465 $1,465

$494 ₡221.6K

196.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

94.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.50 $43.50

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 $44.13

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-20.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 $91.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 $1,689

$788 ₡353.4K

114.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 $1,426

$794 ₡356.2K

79.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 $2,500

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-36.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 $2,257

$1,419 ₡636.5K

59.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,904 $2,904

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-57.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 $3,015

$1,224 ₡549.0K

146.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,186 $4,186

$864 ₡387.3K

384.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

8.62

-27.96%

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

Last update for Manchester, NH: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manchester, NH

$1.4K 49.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.3% $632

Groceries & Markets

Manchester, NH

$411 14.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.3% $59

Eating Out

Manchester, NH

$375 13.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 43.5% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manchester, NH

$369 12.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 49.6% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Manchester, NH

$131 4.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.6% $11

Getting Around

Manchester, NH

$81 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 7.3% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Manchester, NH

$66 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,689 in Manchester, NH and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manchester, NH pays 385% 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: $80.0 in Manchester, NH vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Manchester, NH

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

2 h behind Manchester, NH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,497

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Manchester, NH Nosara 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Manchester, NH
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

Manchester, NH vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 385% higher in Manchester, NH, 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: $1,689 in Manchester, NH versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,465 in Manchester, NH versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Manchester, NH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,859 in Manchester, NH, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Manchester, NH. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Manchester, NH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Manchester, NH 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 55% less than in Manchester, NH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.