Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpelier, VT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,333 in Montpelier, VT, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Montpelier, VT
Learn more

Montpelier, VT Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Montpelier, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,333

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,333 per month in Montpelier, VT vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Montpelier, VT $2,333
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,506 per month in Montpelier, VT vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Montpelier, VT $3,506
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,678 per month in Montpelier, VT vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Montpelier, VT $4,678
Nosara $3,818

Montpelier, VT costs about 27% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montpelier, VT and Nosara sit above the global median – Montpelier, VT by 73%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.65 $20.65

$12.35 ₡5,539

67.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

29.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 $10.69

$7.52 ₡3,373

42.15%

Cappuccino

$3.88 $3.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

-12.02%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.74 ₡780

53.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.31 ₡587

16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 $7.41

$3.28 ₡1,471

125.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

55.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.56 ₡701

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.02 ₡1,355

61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.51 ₡1,125

62.15%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$7.43 ₡3,333

132.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$10.52 ₡4,717

25.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.54 $17.54

$13.97 ₡6,265

25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$2.35 ₡1,052

163.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.61 ₡720

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$4.80 ₡2,152

-6.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.61 ₡724

177.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.69 ₡1,657

-26.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.66 ₡1,191

14.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 $14.20

$5.18 ₡2,321

174.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$19.88 ₡8,916

-38.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.63 ₡1,626

-45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.14 ₡958

188.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.06 $5.06

$1.57 ₡703

222.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.52 ₡682

-36.18%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

72.10%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.01%

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

$194 $194

$96.3 ₡43.2K

101.95%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

48.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-1.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 $12.12

$7.89 ₡3,539

53.61%

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

$832 $832

$494 ₡221.6K

68.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.4K $33.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

181.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.63 $40.63

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-24.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.86 $29.86

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 $51.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-34.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.2 $80.2

$79.6 ₡35.7K

0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 $1,419

$788 ₡353.4K

80.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 $1,139

$794 ₡356.2K

43.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 $2,435

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 $1,981

$1,419 ₡636.5K

39.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

8.62

-23.90%

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

Last update for Montpelier, VT: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpelier, VT

$1.1K 48.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 30.3% $345

Groceries & Markets

Montpelier, VT

$435 18.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 19.1% $83

Eating Out

Montpelier, VT

$312 13.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpelier, VT

$301 12.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 38.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Montpelier, VT

$91 3.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32.1% $29

Getting Around

Montpelier, VT

$31 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 177% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Montpelier, VT

$24 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 261% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,419 in Montpelier, VT 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Montpelier, VT versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $435 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montpelier, VT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

10:40 10:40 AM

2 h behind Montpelier, VT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,800

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Montpelier, VT Nosara 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpelier, VT
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

Montpelier, VT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montpelier, VT costs about 27% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,500 per month in Montpelier, VT 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,333 in Montpelier, VT and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $832 per month in Montpelier, VT and $494 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 $1,839, than in Montpelier, VT at $2,333. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montpelier, VT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,333 in Montpelier, VT. 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, Montpelier, VT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.