Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monroe, LA and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Monroe, LA and in Nosara: $1,884 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
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Monroe, LA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,884

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,884 per month in Monroe, LA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Monroe, LA $1,884
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,866 per month in Monroe, LA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Monroe, LA $2,866
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,848 per month in Monroe, LA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Monroe, LA $3,848
Nosara $3,818

Monroe, LA costs about 2% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Monroe, LA and Nosara sit above the global median – Monroe, LA by 40%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 $16.96

$12.35 ₡5,539

37.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.30 $40.30

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-34.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$7.52 ₡3,373

34.04%

Cappuccino

$3.02 $3.02

$4.41 ₡1,978

-31.52%

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

$1.99 $1.99

$1.74 ₡780

14.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.31 ₡587

83.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 $5.86

$4.47 ₡2,004

31.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.56 ₡701

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.02 ₡1,355

-9.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.51 ₡1,125

10.76%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$3.57 ₡1,603

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 $8.79

$7.43 ₡3,333

18.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$10.52 ₡4,717

-24.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$13.97 ₡6,265

12.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.35 ₡1,052

117.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.61 ₡720

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$4.80 ₡2,152

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.61 ₡724

133.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.80 ₡1,703

-27.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.69 ₡1,657

-31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.13 ₡507

33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.66 ₡1,191

-30.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.77 $7.77

$5.18 ₡2,321

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$19.88 ₡8,916

-31.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.90 ₡1,300

-36.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.63 ₡1,626

-51.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.14 ₡958

18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.57 ₡703

-3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 $24.03

$8.52 ₡3,823

182.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.52 ₡682

-36.84%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.88%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.97%

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

$173 $173

$96.3 ₡43.2K

79.71%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

44.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.7 $63.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

18.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.19 $46.19

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 $12.86

$7.89 ₡3,539

62.99%

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

$786 $786

$494 ₡221.6K

59.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K $19.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

60.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.60 $40.60

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 $38.10

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 $62.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 $97.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 $976

$788 ₡353.4K

23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 $828

$794 ₡356.2K

4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 $2,173

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-44.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 $1,643

$1,419 ₡636.5K

15.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 $2,022

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,812 $1,812

$1,224 ₡549.0K

48.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,697 $3,697

$864 ₡387.3K

328.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Monroe, LA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monroe, LA

$828 43.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 4.1% $34

Groceries & Markets

Monroe, LA

$327 17.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monroe, LA

$288 15.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 35.6% $103

Eating Out

Monroe, LA

$252 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 15.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Monroe, LA

$107 5.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Monroe, LA

$72 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21.5% $15

Getting Around

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 762% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $976 in Monroe, LA versus $788 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 328% higher in Monroe, LA, 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 $40.00 in Monroe, LA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $352 – making Monroe, LA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

1 h behind Monroe, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,702

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Monroe, LA Nosara 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monroe, LA
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

Monroe, LA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monroe, LA costs about 2% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,826 per month in Monroe, LA and $2,758 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 $40.00 in Monroe, LA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Monroe, LA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Monroe, LA at $1,884. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monroe, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $1,884 in Monroe, LA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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