Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montross, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,772 in Montross, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Montross, VA
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Montross, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Montross, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,772

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,772 in Montross, VA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Montross, VA $2,772
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,105 in Montross, VA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Montross, VA $4,105
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,438 in Montross, VA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Montross, VA $5,438
Nosara $3,712

Living in Montross, VA is roughly 51% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montross, VA 107% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.94 $23.94

$12.22 ₡5,509

95.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$60.2 ₡27.1K

63.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$7.54 ₡3,399

46.68%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$4.31 ₡1,941

32.48%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.72 ₡773

74.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.35 ₡608

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.24 ₡1,459

141.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.89 $8.89

$4.48 ₡2,018

98.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.57 ₡707

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$3.17 ₡1,429

41.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.42 ₡1,091

123.55%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$3.57 ₡1,609

42.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.35 $21.35

$7.43 ₡3,349

187.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.85 $15.85

$10.42 ₡4,697

52.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 $22.46

$13.66 ₡6,156

64.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.32 ₡1,044

148.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.61 ₡728

18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$4.74 ₡2,138

-1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$1.66 ₡747

245.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.72 ₡1,679

-15.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$3.57 ₡1,611

6.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.10 ₡497

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.55 ₡1,149

0.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 $10.67

$4.95 ₡2,232

115.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.31 $17.31

$20.01 ₡9,020

-13.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.79 ₡1,256

-0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.53 ₡1,589

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.19 ₡537

91.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.24 ₡1,011

73.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.55 ₡701

-20.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.32 $25.32

$8.86 ₡3,993

185.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.57 ₡708

-32.48%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

58.24%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.23%

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

$164 $164

$93.5 ₡42.1K

75.07%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$35.11 ₡15.8K

44.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.4 $61.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

19.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 $39.97

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-44.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$16.41 $16.41

$7.84 ₡3,535

109.31%

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

$1,618 $1,618

$490 ₡220.7K

230.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

207.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

2.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 $63.5

$55.8 ₡25.1K

13.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$79.3 ₡35.7K

26.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$78.9 ₡35.6K

103.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$786 ₡354.3K

119.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$780 ₡351.6K

62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 $2,690

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-30.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$1,407 ₡634.4K

56.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,765 $2,765

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-60.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,076 $2,076

$1,201 ₡541.3K

72.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Montross, VA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montross, VA

$1.3K 47.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 38.4% $485

Groceries & Markets

Montross, VA

$509 19%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 31.3% $159

Eating Out

Montross, VA

$372 13.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 43.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montross, VA

$276 10.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 34.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Montross, VA

$171 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 29.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Montross, VA

$73 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 19.6% $14

Getting Around

Montross, VA

$19 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 354% $68

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 $1,722 in Montross, VA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98.0 in Montross, VA vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $509 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montross, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

2 h behind Montross, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

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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Between locations

Montross, VA Nosara 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montross, VA
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

Montross, VA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,157 in Montross, VA and $2,756 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: $1,722 in Montross, VA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,618 in Montross, VA versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $98.0 in Montross, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,772 in Montross, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Montross, VA. 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 Montross, VA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montross, VA 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 51% less than in Montross, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.