Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Brunswick, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,646 in Brunswick, ME, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Brunswick, ME
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Brunswick, ME Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Brunswick, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,646 in Brunswick, ME.

Nosara $1,839
Brunswick, ME $2,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $4,011 in Brunswick, ME.

Nosara $2,828
Brunswick, ME $4,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $5,375 in Brunswick, ME.

Nosara $3,818
Brunswick, ME $5,375

Living in Nosara costs roughly 31% less than in Brunswick, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Brunswick, ME 96% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$24.69 $24.69

-49.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$119 $119

-48.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$14.97 $14.97

-49.77%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$6.10 $6.10

-27.70%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.06 $3.06

-43.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.45 $2.45

-46.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$7.96 $7.96

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$7.85 $7.85

-43.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.91 $0.91

71.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.25 $3.25

-7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.47 $3.47

-27.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.55 $2.55

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.99 $12.99

-42.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.39 $10.39

1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$16.21 $16.21

-13.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.89 $4.89

-51.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.46 $1.46

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.40 $4.40

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.50 $6.50

-75.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.37 $3.37

12.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.65 $3.65

1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.52 $2.52

-55.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.88 $1.88

41.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$8.87 $8.87

-41.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.07 $13.07

52.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.33 $1.33

118.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.87 $1.87

94.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.80 $1.80

-37.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.97 $1.97

8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.51 $1.51

3.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$10.87 $10.87

-21.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 $1.05

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.7K $35.7K

-39.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.1K $26.1K

32.34%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$162 $162

-40.60%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$70.3 $70.3

-48.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$76.4 $76.4

-29.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.77 $44.77

59.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$14.18 $14.18

-44.36%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,227 $1,227

-59.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$23.6K $23.6K

-49.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.9 $51.9

3.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$81.5 $81.5

-32.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$100 $100

-22.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$135 $135

-41.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,594 $1,594

-50.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,313 $1,313

-39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,518 $2,518

56.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,189 $2,189

-35.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,920 $2,920

136.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,155 $2,155

-43.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$4,638 $4,638

-81.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.5

32.62%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brunswick, ME: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Brunswick, ME

$1.3K 49.6% 65.3% $519

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Brunswick, ME

$375 14.2% 6.5% $23

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Brunswick, ME

$393 14.9% 85.6% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Brunswick, ME

$309 11.7% 66.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Brunswick, ME

$166 6.3% 38.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Brunswick, ME

$73 2.8% 16.3% $14

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Brunswick, ME

$17 * 0.6% 80.8% $70

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 $788 in Nosara and $1,594 in Brunswick, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brunswick, ME pays 437% 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 Nosara vs $119 in Brunswick, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $375 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Brunswick, ME

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

16,287

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Brunswick, ME 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Brunswick, 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 Brunswick, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 437% lower in Brunswick, ME. 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: $788 in Nosara versus $1,594 in Brunswick, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $1,227 in Brunswick, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $119 in Brunswick, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,646 in Brunswick, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Brunswick, ME. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brunswick, ME, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Brunswick, ME 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 44% less than in Brunswick, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.