Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newport News, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,738 in Newport News, VA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Newport News, VA
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Newport News, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Newport News, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,738

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,738 in Newport News, VA versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Newport News, VA $2,738
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,798 in Newport News, VA versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Newport News, VA $3,798
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,858 in Newport News, VA versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Newport News, VA $4,858
Nosara $3,818

Living in Newport News, VA is roughly 49% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Newport News, VA 103% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.29 $28.29

$12.35 ₡5,539

129.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 $10.44

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.83%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$4.41 ₡1,978

39.91%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.74 ₡780

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.31 ₡587

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.28 ₡1,471

140.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.77 $7.77

$4.47 ₡2,004

73.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.56 ₡701

-39.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.02 ₡1,355

16.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.51 ₡1,125

33.86%

Eggs

$2.86 $2.86

$3.57 ₡1,603

-19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 $7.51

$7.43 ₡3,333

1.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$10.52 ₡4,717

5.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.66 $18.66

$13.97 ₡6,265

33.57%

Apples (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.35 ₡1,052

195.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.61 ₡720

-35.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.61 ₡724

151.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.80 ₡1,703

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.69 ₡1,657

-15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.13 ₡507

78.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

0.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 $7.74

$5.18 ₡2,321

49.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.06 $16.06

$19.88 ₡8,916

-19.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.63 ₡1,626

54.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.12 ₡504

159.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.13 $40.13

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-44.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.14 ₡958

82.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.57 ₡703

-15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.22 $25.22

$8.52 ₡3,823

196.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.52 ₡682

-35.53%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.20%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.78%

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

$209 $209

$96.3 ₡43.2K

117.27%

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

$79.9 $79.9

$35.89 ₡16.1K

122.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.8 $78.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

47.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 $13.31

$7.89 ₡3,539

68.69%

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

$3,164 $3,164

$494 ₡221.6K

540.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.7K $40.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

243.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 $44.64

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-19.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$79.6 ₡35.7K

55.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$788 ₡353.4K

78.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$794 ₡356.2K

63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 $2,324

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-41.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

$1,419 ₡636.5K

26.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,245 $2,245

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-67.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 $2,236

$1,224 ₡549.0K

82.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,938 $3,938

$864 ₡387.3K

356.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Newport News, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newport News, VA

$1.3K 47.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 38.9% $505

Eating Out

Newport News, VA

$405 14.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 47.7% $193

Groceries & Markets

Newport News, VA

$391 14.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newport News, VA

$368 13.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 49.5% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Newport News, VA

$146 5.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Newport News, VA

$66 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32% $21

Getting Around

Newport News, VA

$62 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 39.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,407 in Newport News, VA and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newport News, VA pays 356% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Newport News, VA vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newport News, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

13:39 1:39 PM

2 h behind Newport News, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,247

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

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Between locations

Newport News, VA Nosara 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Newport News, 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

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

Newport News, VA and Nosara differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,738 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 356% higher in Newport News, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,407 in Newport News, VA versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,738 per month in Newport News, VA versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 81% less than in Newport News, VA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,738 in Newport News, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Newport News, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Newport News, 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 49% less than in Newport News, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.