Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,243 in Melbourne, FL, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne, FL
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Melbourne, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Melbourne, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,243

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,243 per month in Melbourne, FL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Melbourne, FL $3,243
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,369 per month in Melbourne, FL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Melbourne, FL $4,369
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,495 per month in Melbourne, FL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Melbourne, FL $5,495
Nosara $3,712

Melbourne, FL costs about 77% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Melbourne, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Melbourne, FL by 142%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.52 $25.52

$12.22 ₡5,509

108.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

23.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.54 ₡3,399

33.42%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$4.31 ₡1,941

18.10%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.72 ₡773

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.35 ₡608

47.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.24 ₡1,459

62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$4.48 ₡2,018

64.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.57 ₡707

-48.41%

White Bread (500g)

$4.28 $4.28

$3.17 ₡1,429

35.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.42 ₡1,091

27.69%

Eggs

$5.59 $5.59

$3.57 ₡1,609

56.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$7.43 ₡3,349

79.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$10.42 ₡4,697

6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 $14.61

$13.66 ₡6,156

6.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.32 ₡1,044

96.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.61 ₡728

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.74 ₡2,138

-5.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.66 ₡747

220.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.72 ₡1,679

-22.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.57 ₡1,611

-7.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.10 ₡497

105.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.55 ₡1,149

6.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.55 $9.55

$4.95 ₡2,232

92.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$20.01 ₡9,020

-21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.79 ₡1,256

-25.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.53 ₡1,589

-7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.19 ₡537

212.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.71 $41.71

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-42.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.94 $9.94

$2.24 ₡1,011

343.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.55 ₡701

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.57 ₡708

-33.76%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

70.59%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.70%

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

$168 $168

$93.5 ₡42.1K

80.10%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

67.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.5 $76.5

$51.5 ₡23.2K

48.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.58 $41.58

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.79 $2.79

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-92.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.92 $12.92

$7.84 ₡3,535

64.80%

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

$888 $888

$490 ₡220.7K

81.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

75.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 $73.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

36.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 $58.0

$55.8 ₡25.1K

3.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$79.3 ₡35.7K

46.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$78.9 ₡35.6K

31.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 $2,032

$786 ₡354.3K

158.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 $1,840

$780 ₡351.6K

135.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 $2,799

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-27.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,486 $2,486

$1,407 ₡634.4K

76.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,445 $2,445

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-64.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,499 $2,499

$1,201 ₡541.3K

108.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,682 $3,682

$876 ₡395.0K

320.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

8.62

-20.42%

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

Last update for Melbourne, FL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne, FL

$1.8K 57.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 57.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne, FL

$407 12.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 14.1% $57

Eating Out

Melbourne, FL

$357 11.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 41.3% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne, FL

$304 9.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 40.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne, FL

$158 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 23.8% $38

Getting Around

Melbourne, FL

$76 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne, FL

$67 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 29.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,032 in Melbourne, FL versus $786 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 320% higher in Melbourne, FL, 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 $74.0 in Melbourne, FL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Melbourne, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

2 h behind Melbourne, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,068

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne, FL Nosara 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne, FL
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

Melbourne, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne, FL is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,865 per month in Melbourne, FL and $2,756 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 $3,243 in Melbourne, FL and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 77%.

Public transport costs about 73% 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 $1,837, than in Melbourne, FL at $3,243. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne, FL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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