Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meridian, MS and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,616 in Meridian, MS, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Meridian, MS
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Meridian, MS Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Meridian, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,616

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,616 per month in Meridian, MS vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Meridian, MS $2,616
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,954 per month in Meridian, MS vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Meridian, MS $3,954
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,292 per month in Meridian, MS vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Meridian, MS $5,292
Nosara $3,712

Meridian, MS costs about 42% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Meridian, MS and Nosara sit above the global median – Meridian, MS by 95%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.06 $26.06

$12.22 ₡5,509

113.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 $107

$60.2 ₡27.1K

77.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 $10.35

$7.54 ₡3,399

37.27%

Cappuccino

$4.02 $4.02

$4.31 ₡1,941

-6.73%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.72 ₡773

27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.35 ₡608

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.24 ₡1,459

81.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 $7.84

$4.48 ₡2,018

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.57 ₡707

-43.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.17 ₡1,429

32.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.42 ₡1,091

-15.29%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$3.57 ₡1,609

10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 $15.46

$7.43 ₡3,349

108.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.50 $8.50

$10.42 ₡4,697

-18.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$13.66 ₡6,156

13.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.32 ₡1,044

27.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.61 ₡728

-29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$4.74 ₡2,138

-40.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.66 ₡747

161.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$3.72 ₡1,679

-49.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.57 ₡1,611

-12.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.10 ₡497

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.55 ₡1,149

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.04 $9.04

$4.95 ₡2,232

82.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 $16.76

$20.01 ₡9,020

-16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.79 ₡1,256

-7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.53 ₡1,589

8.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.19 ₡537

92.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.24 ₡1,011

58.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.55 ₡701

-1.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 $35.46

$8.86 ₡3,993

300.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.57 ₡708

-40.13%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

61.80%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.84%

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

$257 $257

$93.5 ₡42.1K

175.02%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$35.11 ₡15.8K

101.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$51.5 ₡23.2K

44.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.81 $45.81

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-35.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 $12.27

$7.84 ₡3,535

56.51%

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

$606 $606

$490 ₡220.7K

23.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-12.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$53.5 ₡24.1K

9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.00 $43.00

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-22.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 $87.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$78.9 ₡35.6K

54.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 $1,609

$786 ₡354.3K

104.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$780 ₡351.6K

66.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 $2,520

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-34.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,407 ₡634.4K

53.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,720 $2,720

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-60.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,250 $2,250

$1,201 ₡541.3K

87.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 $4,135

$876 ₡395.0K

371.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.62

-22.74%

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

Last update for Meridian, MS: 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

Meridian, MS

$1.3K 48.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 39.8% $516

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meridian, MS

$402 15.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 55.3% $222

Groceries & Markets

Meridian, MS

$370 14%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 5.6% $21

Eating Out

Meridian, MS

$350 13.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 40.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Meridian, MS

$140 5.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Meridian, MS

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Meridian, MS

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 328% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,609 in Meridian, MS 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 372% higher in Meridian, MS, 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 $107 in Meridian, MS versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Meridian, MS

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

08:40 8:40 AM

1 h behind Meridian, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,200

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Meridian, MS Nosara 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Meridian, MS
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

Meridian, MS vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Meridian, MS is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,924 per month in Meridian, MS 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Meridian, MS and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Meridian, MS, 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 $1,837, than in Meridian, MS at $2,616. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meridian, MS 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, Meridian, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.