Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Augusta, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Augusta, ME

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Augusta, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME.

Nosara $1,846
Augusta, ME $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $3,317 in Augusta, ME.

Nosara $2,833
Augusta, ME $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $4,246 in Augusta, ME.

Nosara $3,820
Augusta, ME $4,246

Living in Nosara costs roughly 23% less than in Augusta, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Augusta, ME 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$19.90 $19.90

-37.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$53.1 $53.1

14.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$10.39 $10.39

-24.16%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$5.40 $5.40

-18.52%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.36 $2.36

-27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.59 $1.59

-15.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$5.02 $5.02

-33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$7.72 $7.72

-41.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.14 $1.14

43.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$4.56 $4.56

-30.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$1.45 $1.45

64.83%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.96 $3.96

-12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$15.09 $15.09

-52.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$14.12 $14.12

-26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$19.52 $19.52

-28.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$7.48 $7.48

-69.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.31 $1.31

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$3.09 $3.09

55.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.59 $4.59

-63.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$2.33 $2.33

67.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.86 $2.86

26.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.08 $2.08

-45.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.81 $1.81

45.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$11.98 $11.98

-58.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$12.99 $12.99

51.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.56 $1.56

86.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$1.55 $1.55

128.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.55 $2.55

-15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.27 $1.27

28.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$28.55 $28.55

-69.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$0.90 $0.90

72.22%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$29.6K $29.6K

14.57%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$24.3K $24.3K

58.52%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$243 $243

-60.81%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$45.59 $45.59

-20.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$61.0 $61.0

-14.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$22.60 $22.60

198.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$14.13 $14.13

-46.64%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$2,656 $2,656

-81.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$36.6K $36.6K

-67.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$73.5 $73.5

-25.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$50.9 $50.9

10.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$113 $113

-31.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$154 $154

-48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,200 $1,200

-31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,078 $1,078

-25.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,602 $1,602

148.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$1,473 $1,473

-2.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$2,386 $2,386

196.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$2,378 $2,378

-49.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$1,948 $1,948

-54.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.3

36.83%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 33.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 17.6% $62

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 46.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 90.4% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 46.2% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 90% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 38.5% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $53 in Augusta, ME. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $413, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

194,343

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Augusta, ME 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Augusta, ME

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

Nosara vs Augusta, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Augusta, ME differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,846 vs $2,388 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Nosara. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $817 in Nosara versus $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Nosara versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $61 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nosara wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.