Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marathon, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,696 in Marathon, FL, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Marathon, FL
Learn more

Marathon, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Marathon, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,696

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,696 in Marathon, FL versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Marathon, FL $2,696
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Marathon, FL versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Marathon, FL $4,031
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,366 in Marathon, FL versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Marathon, FL $5,366
Nosara $3,712

Living in Marathon, FL is roughly 47% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Marathon, FL 101% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.55 $29.55

$12.22 ₡5,509

141.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

58.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$7.54 ₡3,399

57.56%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$4.31 ₡1,941

24.36%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.72 ₡773

47.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.35 ₡608

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.39 $7.39

$3.24 ₡1,459

128.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.48 ₡2,018

123.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.57 ₡707

-32.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.17 ₡1,429

-1.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.42 ₡1,091

37.19%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$3.57 ₡1,609

25.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.30 $13.30

$7.43 ₡3,349

79.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.42 ₡4,697

17.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.29 $19.29

$13.66 ₡6,156

41.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.32 ₡1,044

113.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.61 ₡728

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.74 ₡2,138

-35.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$1.66 ₡747

236.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.72 ₡1,679

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.57 ₡1,611

19.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.10 ₡497

148.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.55 ₡1,149

-2.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$4.95 ₡2,232

81.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 $13.12

$20.01 ₡9,020

-34.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.79 ₡1,256

-38.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.53 ₡1,589

4.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.19 ₡537

62.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.24 ₡1,011

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.55 ₡701

21.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.81 $29.81

$8.86 ₡3,993

236.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡708

-36.31%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

70.26%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.07%

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

$226 $226

$93.5 ₡42.1K

141.57%

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

$70.3 $70.3

$35.11 ₡15.8K

100.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.9 $76.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

49.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 $36.27

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-49.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 $10.11

$7.84 ₡3,535

28.95%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$490 ₡220.7K

202.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

95.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

25.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 $41.48

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-25.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$79.3 ₡35.7K

31.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$78.9 ₡35.6K

41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 $1,560

$786 ₡354.3K

98.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 $1,463

$780 ₡351.6K

87.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 $2,431

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 $1,828

$1,407 ₡634.4K

29.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,569 $2,569

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-63.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,341 $2,341

$1,201 ₡541.3K

94.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Marathon, FL: 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

Marathon, FL

$1.5K 50.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 46.7% $683

Eating Out

Marathon, FL

$411 14.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 49% $201

Groceries & Markets

Marathon, FL

$408 14.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 14.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marathon, FL

$373 13%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 51.7% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Marathon, FL

$146 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Marathon, FL

$56 2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 54.2% $31

Getting Around

Marathon, FL

$21 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 324% $66

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 $1,560 in Marathon, FL and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96.0 in Marathon, FL vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Marathon, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

2 h behind Marathon, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marathon, FL Nosara 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Marathon, FL
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

Marathon, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marathon, FL and Nosara differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,696 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,044 in Marathon, FL and $2,756 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: $1,560 in Marathon, FL versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $2,696 per month in Marathon, FL versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,696 in Marathon, FL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Marathon, FL. 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, Marathon, FL 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 47% less than in Marathon, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.