Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murphysboro, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Murphysboro, IL: $1,701 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Murphysboro, IL
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Murphysboro, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Murphysboro, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,701

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,701 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Murphysboro, IL $1,701
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,583 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Murphysboro, IL $2,583
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,466 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Murphysboro, IL $3,466
Nosara $3,712

Murphysboro, IL is about 7% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Murphysboro, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Murphysboro, IL by 27%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.97 $17.97

$12.22 ₡5,509

47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 $84.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

39.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 $11.85

$7.54 ₡3,399

57.16%

Cappuccino

$6.79 $6.79

$4.31 ₡1,941

57.54%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.72 ₡773

71.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.35 ₡608

82.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.24 ₡1,459

111.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$4.48 ₡2,018

73.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.57 ₡707

-47.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 $1.81

$3.17 ₡1,429

-42.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.42 ₡1,091

69.83%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$3.57 ₡1,609

15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 $13.19

$7.43 ₡3,349

77.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$10.42 ₡4,697

-5.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 $15.47

$13.66 ₡6,156

13.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.32 ₡1,044

156.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.61 ₡728

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$4.74 ₡2,138

-13.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.66 ₡747

193.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$3.72 ₡1,679

-70.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.57 ₡1,611

-43.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.10 ₡497

49.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.55 ₡1,149

-69.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.35 $10.35

$4.95 ₡2,232

109.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 $9.99

$20.01 ₡9,020

-50.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.79 ₡1,256

-10.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.53 ₡1,589

19.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.19 ₡537

72.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.24 ₡1,011

127.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.55 ₡701

-0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.65 $20.65

$8.86 ₡3,993

133.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.57 ₡708

-35.67%

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

$38.1K $38.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

74.73%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-19.65%

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

$190 $190

$93.5 ₡42.1K

103.81%

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

$33.40 $33.40

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-4.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.26 $39.26

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-23.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 $43.73

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-38.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 $8.57

$7.84 ₡3,535

9.31%

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

$1,436 $1,436

$490 ₡220.7K

193.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.7K $30.7K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

158.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.84 $33.84

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-36.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 $34.81

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-37.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 $93.0

$79.3 ₡35.7K

17.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$78.9 ₡35.6K

44.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$786 ₡354.3K

-20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 $560

$780 ₡351.6K

-28.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-76.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$866 $866

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-38.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$903 $903

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-87.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$984 $984

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-18.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,541 $2,541

$876 ₡395.0K

189.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Murphysboro, IL: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Murphysboro, IL

$560 33%

Nosara

$780 43% 39.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Murphysboro, IL

$338 19.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.4% $11

Eating Out

Murphysboro, IL

$332 19.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 37% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Murphysboro, IL

$263 15.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 31.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Murphysboro, IL

$124 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3.1% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Murphysboro, IL

$61 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 43.1% $26

Getting Around

Murphysboro, IL

$21 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 314% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Murphysboro, IL 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.

Salaries run about 190% higher in Murphysboro, IL, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Murphysboro, IL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Murphysboro, IL vs $350 in Nosara – so Murphysboro, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Murphysboro, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

1 h behind Murphysboro, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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

Murphysboro, IL Nosara 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Murphysboro, IL
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

Murphysboro, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 8% more than Murphysboro, IL, 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 $2,551 per month in Murphysboro, IL 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 Murphysboro, IL, 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 $84.0 in Murphysboro, IL and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Murphysboro, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,701, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Murphysboro, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Murphysboro, IL costs $1,701 versus $1,837 in Nosara. 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 Murphysboro, IL. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.