Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Martinsburg, WV and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,251 in Martinsburg, WV, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Martinsburg, WV
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Martinsburg, WV Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Martinsburg, WV

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,251 per month in Martinsburg, WV vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Martinsburg, WV $2,251
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,392 per month in Martinsburg, WV vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Martinsburg, WV $3,392
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,534 per month in Martinsburg, WV vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Martinsburg, WV $4,534
Nosara $3,814

Martinsburg, WV costs about 23% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Martinsburg, WV and Nosara sit above the global median – Martinsburg, WV by 66%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.78 $20.78

$12.34 ₡5,535

68.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

30.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 $12.23

$7.76 ₡3,481

57.60%

Cappuccino

$4.31 $4.31

$4.44 ₡1,992

-2.93%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.79 ₡803

70.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.29 ₡580

79.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

151.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.64 $8.64

$4.43 ₡1,985

95.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.55 ₡696

-41.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.08 ₡1,380

-8.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.53 ₡1,133

28.85%

Eggs

$3.38 $3.38

$3.45 ₡1,546

-2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 $11.52

$7.32 ₡3,284

57.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 $8.41

$10.24 ₡4,594

-17.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.99 $16.99

$14.10 ₡6,326

20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.29 ₡1,027

75.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.64 ₡737

-21.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.79 ₡2,149

-31.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.64 ₡735

210.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.85 ₡1,727

-25.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.75 ₡1,681

0.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.09 ₡488

133.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.59 ₡1,160

-22.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.61 $9.61

$5.12 ₡2,295

87.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 $12.13

$19.92 ₡8,931

-39.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.80 ₡1,255

3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.52 ₡1,580

-16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.22 ₡549

182.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 $71.1

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-3.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.17 ₡973

78.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.56 ₡698

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.67 $24.67

$8.67 ₡3,886

184.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

3.31%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.24%

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

$199 $199

$94.8 ₡42.5K

109.80%

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

$39.48 $39.48

$36.15 ₡16.2K

9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

34.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.75 $44.75

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-39.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.26 $20.26

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$7.91 ₡3,548

87.36%

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

$3,249 $3,249

$490 ₡219.9K

562.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.0K $41.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

244.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 $49.24

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-10.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.43 $44.43

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-20.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 $80.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$77.9 ₡34.9K

54.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 $1,202

$801 ₡359.1K

50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 $950

$790 ₡354.1K

20.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 $1,605

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-59.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 $1,644

$1,409 ₡632.0K

16.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 $1,976

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-72.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 $2,029

$1,236 ₡554.3K

64.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,814 $4,814

$887 ₡397.6K

442.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Martinsburg, WV: 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

Martinsburg, WV

$950 42.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 16.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Martinsburg, WV

$353 15.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 1% $3.4

Eating Out

Martinsburg, WV

$334 14.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 36.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Martinsburg, WV

$310 13.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 40.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Martinsburg, WV

$132 5.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8.6% $11

Getting Around

Martinsburg, WV

$97 4.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 8.2% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Martinsburg, WV

$74 3.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 20.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,202 in Martinsburg, WV 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.

Salaries run about 443% higher in Martinsburg, WV, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Martinsburg, WV versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Martinsburg, WV

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

2 h behind Martinsburg, WV

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,392

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Martinsburg, WV Nosara 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Martinsburg, WV
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

Martinsburg, WV vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,251 in Martinsburg, WV, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,376 per month in Martinsburg, WV 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 $2,251 in Martinsburg, WV and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Martinsburg, WV at $2,251. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Martinsburg, WV it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,251 in Martinsburg, WV. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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