Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina, OH and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,450 in Medina, OH, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Medina, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,450

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,450 per month in Medina, OH vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Medina, OH $2,450
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,021 per month in Medina, OH vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Medina, OH $4,021
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,592 per month in Medina, OH vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Medina, OH $5,592
Nosara $3,818

Medina, OH costs about 33% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medina, OH and Nosara sit above the global median – Medina, OH by 82%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 $17.85

$12.35 ₡5,539

44.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 $60.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.38%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

10.66%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$1.74 ₡780

17.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.31 ₡587

-22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.28 ₡1,471

48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.47 ₡2,004

52.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.56 ₡701

-39.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.02 ₡1,355

19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.51 ₡1,125

74.50%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$3.57 ₡1,603

8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 $9.03

$7.43 ₡3,333

21.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$10.52 ₡4,717

22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$13.97 ₡6,265

27.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.35 ₡1,052

122.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.61 ₡720

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.80 ₡2,152

-16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.61 ₡724

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.69 ₡1,657

-32.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.13 ₡507

104.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$5.18 ₡2,321

77.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.21 $13.21

$19.88 ₡8,916

-33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.90 ₡1,300

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.63 ₡1,626

-59.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.14 ₡958

85.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.70 $20.70

$8.52 ₡3,823

142.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.52 ₡682

-28.29%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.33%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.57%

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

$256 $256

$96.3 ₡43.2K

166.23%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

44.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

29.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.71 $37.71

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-47.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$7.89 ₡3,539

49.43%

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

$1,747 $1,747

$494 ₡221.6K

253.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

194.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.46 $45.46

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-15.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.81 $47.81

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-13.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 $74.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 $74.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 $1,053

$788 ₡353.4K

33.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 $1,229

$794 ₡356.2K

54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,716 $2,716

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-31.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,019 $3,019

$1,419 ₡636.5K

112.73%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

8.62

-27.49%

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

Last update for Medina, 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

Medina, OH

$1.2K 50.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 35.4% $435

Groceries & Markets

Medina, OH

$381 15.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina, OH

$377 15.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 50.8% $192

Eating Out

Medina, OH

$281 11.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 24.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medina, OH

$109 4.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Medina, OH

$61 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 42.6% $26

Getting Around

Medina, OH

$12 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 637% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,053 in Medina, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Medina, OH versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in Medina, OH vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medina, OH

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

2 h behind Medina, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Medina, OH Nosara 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medina, 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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,676 per month in Medina, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Medina, OH 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 8% more in Medina, OH, 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 $1,839, than in Medina, OH at $2,450. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medina, OH it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,450 in Medina, OH. 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, Medina, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.