Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milton, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,499 in Milton, FL, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Milton, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,499

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Milton, FL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Milton, FL $2,499
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,605 per month in Milton, FL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Milton, FL $3,605
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,710 per month in Milton, FL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Milton, FL $4,710
Nosara $3,712

Milton, FL costs about 36% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Milton, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Milton, FL by 86%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 $9.80

$12.22 ₡5,509

-19.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$60.2 ₡27.1K

67.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$7.54 ₡3,399

33.95%

Cappuccino

$4.49 $4.49

$4.31 ₡1,941

4.18%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.72 ₡773

72.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.35 ₡608

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 $5.43

$3.24 ₡1,459

67.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.62 $7.62

$4.48 ₡2,018

70.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.57 ₡707

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.17 ₡1,429

28.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.61 $5.61

$2.42 ₡1,091

131.82%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$3.57 ₡1,609

43.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$7.43 ₡3,349

49.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 $10.02

$10.42 ₡4,697

-3.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 $15.47

$13.66 ₡6,156

13.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.32 ₡1,044

119.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.61 ₡728

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$4.74 ₡2,138

10.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.66 ₡747

230.12%

Potato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.72 ₡1,679

17.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.57 ₡1,611

-10.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.10 ₡497

106.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.55 ₡1,149

3.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.20 $7.20

$4.95 ₡2,232

45.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 $15.13

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.79 ₡1,256

-8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.53 ₡1,589

13.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.19 ₡537

83.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.24 ₡1,011

52.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.55 ₡701

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$8.86 ₡3,993

297.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡708

-36.31%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

60.93%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.09%

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

$265 $265

$93.5 ₡42.1K

183.56%

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

$71.9 $71.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

104.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

44.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.56 $41.56

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.49 $12.49

$7.84 ₡3,535

59.31%

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

$1,576 $1,576

$490 ₡220.7K

221.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-15.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.37 $44.37

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-17.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.62 $29.62

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-46.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 $85.4

$79.3 ₡35.7K

7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$78.9 ₡35.6K

52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$786 ₡354.3K

80.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 $1,264

$780 ₡351.6K

62.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,495 $2,495

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-35.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 $1,922

$1,407 ₡634.4K

36.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,736 $2,736

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-60.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 $2,299

$1,201 ₡541.3K

91.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Milton, FL: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milton, FL

$1.3K 49.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 38.3% $485

Groceries & Markets

Milton, FL

$422 16.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 17.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milton, FL

$411 16.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 56.2% $231

Eating Out

Milton, FL

$226 8.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 7.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Milton, FL

$126 5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 4.4% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Milton, FL

$67 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 30.9% $21

Getting Around

Milton, FL

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 342% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,420 in Milton, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Milton, FL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Milton, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

1 h behind Milton, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

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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Highest

Between locations

Milton, FL Nosara 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Milton, 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

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

Yes – Milton, FL is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,748 per month in Milton, 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 $2,499 in Milton, FL and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $1,576 per month in Milton, FL and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Milton, FL at $2,499. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milton, 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, Milton, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.