Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,597 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Merrillville, IN $2,597
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Merrillville, IN $3,672
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Merrillville, IN $4,748
Nosara $3,814

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 41% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 92% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$12.34 ₡5,535

20.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 $55.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-8.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.76 ₡3,481

27.32%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$4.44 ₡1,992

4.28%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.79 ₡803

22.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.29 ₡580

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.24 ₡1,451

40.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.43 ₡1,985

33.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.55 ₡696

-52.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.08 ₡1,380

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.53 ₡1,133

79.45%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$3.45 ₡1,546

34.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$7.32 ₡3,284

51.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$10.24 ₡4,594

-6.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$14.10 ₡6,326

55.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.29 ₡1,027

151.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.64 ₡737

-31.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.79 ₡2,149

-8.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$1.64 ₡735

234.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.85 ₡1,727

-4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.75 ₡1,681

17.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.09 ₡488

124.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.59 ₡1,160

-50.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$5.12 ₡2,295

121.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$19.92 ₡8,931

-38.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.80 ₡1,255

-25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.52 ₡1,580

-2.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.22 ₡549

65.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.17 ₡973

128.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.56 ₡698

19.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 $50.3

$8.67 ₡3,886

479.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.55 ₡697

-40.00%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.33%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.25%

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

$233 $233

$94.8 ₡42.5K

145.21%

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

$50.9 $50.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

40.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

11.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-35.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$7.91 ₡3,548

89.38%

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

$1,397 $1,397

$490 ₡219.9K

184.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

71.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 $40.39

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$80.4 ₡36.0K

32.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$801 ₡359.1K

88.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$790 ₡354.1K

74.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-39.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-64.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,236 ₡554.3K

77.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

8.62

-24.25%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 42.6% $585

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 10.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 46.3% $158

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 17.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$77 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 15.7% $12

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 296% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,510 in Merrillville, IN and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Merrillville, IN vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

1 h behind Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merrillville, IN Nosara 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and Nosara differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,597 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,895 in Merrillville, IN and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Merrillville, IN versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,597 per month in Merrillville, IN versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Merrillville, IN and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.