Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milton, DE and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,602 in Milton, DE, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Milton, DE
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Milton, DE Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Milton, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,602

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Milton, DE versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Milton, DE $2,602
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,844 in Milton, DE versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Milton, DE $3,844
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,086 in Milton, DE versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Milton, DE $5,086
Nosara $3,814

Living in Milton, DE is roughly 42% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 $18.34

$12.34 ₡5,535

48.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.9 $71.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

17.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.80 $12.80

$7.76 ₡3,481

64.95%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$4.44 ₡1,992

7.88%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.79 ₡803

62.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.29 ₡580

41.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$3.24 ₡1,451

68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.27 $8.27

$4.43 ₡1,985

86.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.55 ₡696

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.08 ₡1,380

11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.53 ₡1,133

76.68%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$3.45 ₡1,546

19.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$7.32 ₡3,284

72.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 $11.79

$10.24 ₡4,594

15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.29 ₡1,027

116.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.64 ₡737

-4.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$4.79 ₡2,149

-8.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.64 ₡735

195.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.75 ₡1,681

-20.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.09 ₡488

98.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.59 ₡1,160

-13.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.80 $9.80

$5.12 ₡2,295

91.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.80 ₡1,255

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.52 ₡1,580

-6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.22 ₡549

64.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 $59.7

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-19.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.17 ₡973

43.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.56 ₡698

14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$8.67 ₡3,886

243.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡697

-40.65%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.08%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.84%

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

$200 $200

$94.8 ₡42.5K

110.48%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

62.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

32.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 $41.03

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.77 $39.77

$35.63 ₡16.0K

11.62%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 $13.92

$7.91 ₡3,548

75.98%

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

$1,401 $1,401

$490 ₡219.9K

185.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

93.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.52 $41.52

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$77.9 ₡34.9K

47.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$801 ₡359.1K

99.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 $1,285

$790 ₡354.1K

62.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 $2,171

$1,409 ₡632.0K

54.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 $2,671

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-62.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,413 $2,413

$1,236 ₡554.3K

95.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,879 $3,879

$887 ₡397.6K

337.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Milton, DE: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milton, DE

$1.3K 49.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 38.6% $496

Groceries & Markets

Milton, DE

$400 15.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milton, DE

$329 12.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 44.1% $145

Eating Out

Milton, DE

$305 11.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Milton, DE

$134 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.4% $13

Getting Around

Milton, DE

$80 3.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 11.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Milton, DE

$69 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 30.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,597 in Milton, DE and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton, DE pays 338% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72.0 in Milton, DE vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Milton, DE

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

2 h behind Milton, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

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

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Highest

Between locations

Milton, DE Nosara 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Milton, DE
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

Milton, DE vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 338% higher in Milton, DE, 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: $1,597 in Milton, DE versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Milton, DE. 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 $61.0 versus $72.0 in Milton, DE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,602 in Milton, DE, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Milton, DE. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Milton, DE, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Milton, DE 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 42% less than in Milton, DE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.