Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,753

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,753 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $2,753
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,820 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $3,820
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,887 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $4,887
Nosara $3,814

New Bedford, MA costs about 50% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New Bedford, MA and Nosara sit above the global median – New Bedford, MA by 103%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 $19.68

$12.34 ₡5,535

59.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-3.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 $5.95

$7.76 ₡3,481

-23.32%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$4.44 ₡1,992

-7.43%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.79 ₡803

29.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.29 ₡580

-4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.24 ₡1,451

86.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.43 ₡1,985

-7.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡696

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.08 ₡1,380

48.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$2.53 ₡1,133

542.69%

Eggs

$6.42 $6.42

$3.45 ₡1,546

86.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$7.32 ₡3,284

44.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$10.24 ₡4,594

4.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$14.10 ₡6,326

35.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.29 ₡1,027

134.93%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.64 ₡737

172.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$4.79 ₡2,149

-29.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.64 ₡735

83.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.85 ₡1,727

-42.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.75 ₡1,681

-35.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.09 ₡488

152.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.59 ₡1,160

11.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.07 $13.07

$5.12 ₡2,295

155.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 $16.85

$19.92 ₡8,931

-15.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$3.52 ₡1,580

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.17 ₡973

182.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.56 ₡698

41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.55 ₡697

-29.68%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.44%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.40%

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

$181 $181

$94.8 ₡42.5K

91.12%

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

$36.85 $36.85

$36.15 ₡16.2K

1.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 $58.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

10.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 $28.95

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-60.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$7.91 ₡3,548

57.14%

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

$2,133 $2,133

$490 ₡219.9K

334.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.67 $38.67

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.01 $16.01

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-71.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

23.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 $1,869

$801 ₡359.1K

133.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$790 ₡354.1K

100.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-34.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$1,409 ₡632.0K

66.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,641 $4,641

$887 ₡397.6K

423.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

8.62

-37.12%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 50.1% $792

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$478 17.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 26.8% $128

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 23.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 33.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 74.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 66.5% $36

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 419% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $801 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 423% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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 $59.0 in New Bedford, MA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $478 in New Bedford, MA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

2 h behind New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Between locations

New Bedford, MA Nosara 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, MA
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

New Bedford, MA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in New Bedford, MA and $2,753 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 $59.0 in New Bedford, MA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in New Bedford, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,753. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,753 in New Bedford, MA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.