Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mountain Home, ID and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,720 in Mountain Home, ID, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Mountain Home, ID
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Mountain Home, ID Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mountain Home, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,720

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,720 in Mountain Home, ID versus $1,844 in Nosara.

Mountain Home, ID $2,720
Nosara $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,919 in Mountain Home, ID versus $2,817 in Nosara.

Mountain Home, ID $3,919
Nosara $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,118 in Mountain Home, ID versus $3,790 in Nosara.

Mountain Home, ID $5,118
Nosara $3,790

Living in Mountain Home, ID is roughly 48% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mountain Home, ID 101% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.66 $22.66

$12.38 ₡5,568

83.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 $86.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

41.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 $10.36

$7.81 ₡3,513

32.65%

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$4.37 ₡1,966

5.26%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$1.78 ₡800

55.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.35 ₡605

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.39 ₡1,526

58.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 $8.25

$4.31 ₡1,939

91.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡699

-35.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.17 ₡1,425

15.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.51 ₡1,130

79.68%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$3.53 ₡1,585

15.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 $12.37

$7.37 ₡3,313

67.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.46 ₡4,703

14.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$13.91 ₡6,255

20.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.26 ₡1,018

129.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 ₡701

6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$4.70 ₡2,113

-5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.62 ₡729

185.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.88 ₡1,746

-25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.79 ₡1,704

-19.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.07 ₡481

107.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.61 ₡1,174

-19.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.77 $9.77

$5.16 ₡2,319

89.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$20.33 ₡9,143

-27.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.91 ₡1,310

-31.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.67 ₡1,651

-4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.31 ₡588

36.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 $65.0

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-11.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.19 ₡984

67.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.84 ₡829

-0.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.85 $30.85

$7.81 ₡3,513

295.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.56 ₡702

-23.72%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-4.05%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-27.20%

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

$198 $198

$95.9 ₡43.1K

106.84%

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

$57.8 $57.8

$35.37 ₡15.9K

63.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$53.7 ₡24.1K

31.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.16 $38.16

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-43.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$13.01 $13.01

$7.72 ₡3,473

68.52%

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

$1,520 $1,520

$496 ₡222.8K

206.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

64.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 $51.8

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-5.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 $35.51

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-35.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$79.8 ₡35.9K

27.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$77.9 ₡35.0K

65.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$817 ₡367.5K

96.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 $1,371

$800 ₡359.7K

71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,767 $2,767

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-28.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 $2,092

$1,396 ₡627.6K

49.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,091 $3,091

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-55.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,222 ₡549.6K

91.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Mountain Home, ID: October 31, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mountain Home, ID

$1.4K 50.4%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 41.6% $570

Groceries & Markets

Mountain Home, ID

$400 14.7%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 11.9% $48

Eating Out

Mountain Home, ID

$330 12.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 35.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mountain Home, ID

$327 12%

Nosara

$185 10% 43.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Mountain Home, ID

$143 5.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.8% $23

Getting Around

Mountain Home, ID

$85 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 5.7% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mountain Home, ID

$64 2.4%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 29.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Mountain Home, ID and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Mountain Home, ID vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $353 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mountain Home, ID

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

21:52 9:52 PM

1 h ahead of Mountain Home, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,656

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Mountain Home, ID Nosara 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mountain Home, ID
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

Mountain Home, ID vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,079 in Mountain Home, ID and $2,765 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: $1,604 in Mountain Home, ID versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,720 per month in Mountain Home, ID versus $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mountain Home, ID runs roughly 11% less than in Nosara. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.