Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norman, OK and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,497 in Norman, OK, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Norman, OK
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Norman, OK Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Norman, OK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,497

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,497 per month in Norman, OK vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Norman, OK $2,497
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,466 per month in Norman, OK vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Norman, OK $3,466
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,435 per month in Norman, OK vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Norman, OK $4,435
Nosara $3,818

Norman, OK costs about 36% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Norman, OK and Nosara sit above the global median – Norman, OK by 85%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$12.35 ₡5,539

62.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 $60.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 $11.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

57.71%

Cappuccino

$6.31 $6.31

$4.41 ₡1,978

43.08%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.74 ₡780

68.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.31 ₡587

80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.28 ₡1,471

63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$4.47 ₡2,004

75.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.56 ₡701

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.02 ₡1,355

16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.51 ₡1,125

51.00%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$3.57 ₡1,603

4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 $10.75

$7.43 ₡3,333

44.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.52 ₡4,717

4.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$13.97 ₡6,265

41.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.35 ₡1,052

115.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.61 ₡720

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.80 ₡2,152

-3.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.61 ₡724

142.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.80 ₡1,703

-30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-18.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.13 ₡507

98.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.66 ₡1,191

-7.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 $9.48

$5.18 ₡2,321

83.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 $13.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.90 ₡1,300

-37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.63 ₡1,626

-9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.14 ₡958

24.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.57 ₡703

-19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.95 $23.95

$8.52 ₡3,823

181.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.52 ₡682

-35.53%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.75%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.57%

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

$194 $194

$96.3 ₡43.2K

101.27%

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

$84.5 $84.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

135.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 $85.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

58.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.70 $45.70

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$7.89 ₡3,539

90.49%

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

$1,594 $1,594

$494 ₡221.6K

222.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

101.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.43 $41.43

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

38.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$79.6 ₡35.7K

77.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$788 ₡353.4K

61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$794 ₡356.2K

46.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 $1,727

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$1,419 ₡636.5K

12.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,796 $3,796

$864 ₡387.3K

339.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Norman, OK: 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

Norman, OK

$1.2K 46.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 31.9% $373

Groceries & Markets

Norman, OK

$391 15.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norman, OK

$363 14.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.9% $178

Eating Out

Norman, OK

$336 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 36.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Norman, OK

$155 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Norman, OK

$76 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.3% $12

Getting Around

Norman, OK

$9 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 869% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,274 in Norman, OK versus $788 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 340% higher in Norman, OK, 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 $60.0 in Norman, OK versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $391 in Norman, OK vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Norman, OK

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

1 h behind Norman, OK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,827

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Norman, OK Nosara 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Norman, OK
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

Norman, OK vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Norman, OK is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,745 per month in Norman, OK and $2,758 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,497 in Norman, OK and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $1,594 per month in Norman, OK and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Norman, OK at $2,497. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Norman, OK it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Norman, OK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.