Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marion, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,437 in Marion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Marion, IL
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Marion, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Marion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,437

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,437 per month in Marion, IL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Marion, IL $2,437
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,587 per month in Marion, IL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Marion, IL $3,587
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Marion, IL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Marion, IL $4,737
Nosara $3,814

Marion, IL costs about 33% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Marion, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Marion, IL by 80%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 $17.67

$12.34 ₡5,535

43.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

24.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$7.76 ₡3,481

56.57%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$4.44 ₡1,992

29.05%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.79 ₡803

31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.29 ₡580

53.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.24 ₡1,451

112.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 $7.96

$4.43 ₡1,985

79.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.55 ₡696

-50.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.08 ₡1,380

-47.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.53 ₡1,133

55.73%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$3.45 ₡1,546

-13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$7.32 ₡3,284

-40.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.43 $11.43

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.99 $18.99

$14.10 ₡6,326

34.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.29 ₡1,027

151.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.64 ₡737

6.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$4.79 ₡2,149

19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.64 ₡735

190.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.85 ₡1,727

-15.06%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.75 ₡1,681

13.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.09 ₡488

142.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.59 ₡1,160

-16.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.08 $9.08

$5.12 ₡2,295

77.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$19.92 ₡8,931

-48.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.80 ₡1,255

-38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.52 ₡1,580

-54.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.22 ₡549

49.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.17 ₡973

-7.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.56 ₡698

-10.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 $20.20

$8.67 ₡3,886

132.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡697

-36.13%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.95%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.29%

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

$150 $150

$94.8 ₡42.5K

58.37%

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

$84.3 $84.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

133.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

38.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.51 $41.51

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 $9.84

$7.91 ₡3,548

24.40%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$490 ₡219.9K

245.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

105.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.46 $25.46

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-53.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.36 $33.36

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-40.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 $74.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.1 $86.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 $1,576

$801 ₡359.1K

96.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$790 ₡354.1K

63.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 $2,503

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,135 $2,135

$1,409 ₡632.0K

51.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,461 $2,461

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-65.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 $2,586

$1,236 ₡554.3K

109.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

8.62

-23.43%

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

Last update for Marion, IL: 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

Marion, IL

$1.3K 52.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.6% $497

Groceries & Markets

Marion, IL

$352 14.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 0.6% $2

Eating Out

Marion, IL

$314 12.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marion, IL

$308 12.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 40.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Marion, IL

$99 4.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 22.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Marion, IL

$61 2.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 46.4% $28

Getting Around

Marion, IL

$16 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 447% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,576 in Marion, IL 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 $76.0 in Marion, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Marion, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

1 h behind Marion, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,193

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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Highest

Between locations

Marion, IL Nosara 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marion, IL
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

Marion, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marion, IL costs about 33% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,656 per month in Marion, IL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Marion, IL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Marion, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Marion, IL at $2,437. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marion, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,437 in Marion, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Marion, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.