Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mason, OH and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,691 in Mason, OH, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Mason, OH
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Mason, OH Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mason, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,691

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,691 per month in Mason, OH vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Mason, OH $2,691
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,690 per month in Mason, OH vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Mason, OH $2,690
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,689 per month in Mason, OH vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Mason, OH $2,689
Nosara $3,818

Mason, OH costs about 46% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mason, OH and Nosara sit above the global median – Mason, OH by 99%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 $12.94

$12.35 ₡5,539

4.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 $56.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-7.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 $5.97

$7.52 ₡3,373

-20.61%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

13.83%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.74 ₡780

42.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.31 ₡587

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

50.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

32.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.56 ₡701

-53.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.02 ₡1,355

-6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.51 ₡1,125

57.77%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$3.57 ₡1,603

-1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 $10.27

$7.43 ₡3,333

38.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 $10.26

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.40 $14.40

$13.97 ₡6,265

3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.35 ₡1,052

133.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.61 ₡720

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$4.80 ₡2,152

17.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.61 ₡724

178.26%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.80 ₡1,703

9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.69 ₡1,657

-12.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.13 ₡507

91.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.66 ₡1,191

13.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$5.18 ₡2,321

63.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.07 $13.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.90 ₡1,300

-8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.63 ₡1,626

18.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.14 ₡958

128.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.52 ₡682

-38.82%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.47%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.92%

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

$189 $189

$96.3 ₡43.2K

95.79%

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

$91.2 $91.2

$35.89 ₡16.1K

154.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

29.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.4 $98.4

$71.6 ₡32.1K

37.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.89 ₡3,539

90.87%

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

$2,279 $2,279

$494 ₡221.6K

361.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

113.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-3.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.17 $31.17

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$77.9 ₡34.9K

47.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$79.6 ₡35.7K

94.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 $1,576

$788 ₡353.4K

100.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$794 ₡356.2K

79.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 $1,817

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-53.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,431 $8,431

$864 ₡387.3K

876.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Mason, OH: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mason, OH

$1.4K 53.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.4% $635

Groceries & Markets

Mason, OH

$384 14.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mason, OH

$349 13%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 46.8% $163

Eating Out

Mason, OH

$236 8.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 10.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Mason, OH

$159 5.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mason, OH

$129 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32% $41

Getting Around

Mason, OH

$4.9 * 0.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1685% $82

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 Mason, OH versus $788 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 876% higher in Mason, OH, 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 $57.0 in Mason, OH versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Mason, OH vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mason, OH

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

2 h behind Mason, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Mason, OH Nosara 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mason, OH
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

Mason, OH vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,691 in Mason, OH, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,037 per month in Mason, OH and $2,758 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 $2,691 in Mason, OH and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 46%.

Kindergarten costs $2,279 per month in Mason, OH and $494 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 $1,839, than in Mason, OH at $2,691. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mason, OH 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,691 in Mason, OH. 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, Mason, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.