Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, OR and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,476 in Medford, OR, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Medford, OR
Learn more

Medford, OR Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Medford, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,476

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,476 in Medford, OR versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Medford, OR $2,476
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,565 in Medford, OR versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Medford, OR $3,565
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,653 in Medford, OR versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Medford, OR $4,653
Nosara $3,820

Living in Medford, OR is roughly 34% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medford, OR 82% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.36 ₡5,575

61.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 $62.8

$60.8 ₡27.4K

3.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 $10.41

$7.88 ₡3,557

32.11%

Cappuccino

$4.73 $4.73

$4.40 ₡1,986

7.50%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.72 ₡776

41.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.34 ₡603

11.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.34 ₡1,505

77.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.29 $6.29

$4.54 ₡2,048

38.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.64 ₡739

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.16 ₡1,426

0.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.39 ₡1,080

246.03%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$3.47 ₡1,564

20.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.31 $21.31

$7.13 ₡3,217

198.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$10.32 ₡4,655

-1.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 $15.30

$13.97 ₡6,302

9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.29 ₡1,031

80.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.62 ₡731

-2.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.81 ₡2,169

10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.68 ₡758

204.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.91 ₡1,765

-27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.63 ₡1,640

-20.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.13 ₡509

134.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.63 ₡1,188

20.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$5.02 ₡2,267

120.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 $13.38

$19.71 ₡8,893

-32.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.91 ₡1,314

-39.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.54 ₡1,597

-3.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.21 ₡545

63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.17 $47.17

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-36.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.15 ₡969

33.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.63 ₡738

49.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.52 $44.52

$8.77 ₡3,958

407.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.55 ₡700

-21.29%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-16.25%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-38.25%

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

$203 $203

$95.2 ₡43.0K

112.69%

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

$70.2 $70.2

$36.29 ₡16.4K

93.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 $77.6

$52.0 ₡23.5K

49.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.33 $17.33

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-74.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 $11.60

$7.54 ₡3,404

53.85%

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

$1,022 $1,022

$496 ₡224.0K

105.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,159 $8,159

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-30.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$55.1 ₡24.9K

5.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-30.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$77.8 ₡35.1K

38.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$79.1 ₡35.7K

42.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$817 ₡368.9K

53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$806 ₡363.6K

40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 $1,944

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 $1,768

$1,429 ₡644.9K

23.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,305 $3,305

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-53.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$1,197 ₡540.1K

132.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,592 $3,592

$888 ₡400.7K

304.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Medford, OR: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medford, OR

$1.1K 45.7%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 28.8% $325

Groceries & Markets

Medford, OR

$436 17.6%

Nosara

$351 19% 19.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, OR

$350 14.2%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 47.6% $167

Eating Out

Medford, OR

$306 12.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, OR

$143 5.8%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 15.4% $22

Getting Around

Medford, OR

$70 2.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 26.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, OR

$41 1.6%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 104% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,258 in Medford, OR and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medford, OR pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Medford, OR vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $351 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, OR

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

1 h ahead of Medford, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medford, OR Nosara 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, OR
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

Medford, OR vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Medford, OR. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medford, OR is about 4 times higher, 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: $1,258 in Medford, OR versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Medford, OR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61 versus $63 in Medford, OR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Medford, OR on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.