Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cape Girardeau, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Cape Girardeau, MO
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Cape Girardeau, MO Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cape Girardeau, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cape Girardeau, MO

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 Cape Girardeau, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Nosara $1,839
Cape Girardeau, MO $2,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,277 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Nosara $2,828
Cape Girardeau, MO $3,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,424 in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Nosara $3,818
Cape Girardeau, MO $4,424

Living in Nosara costs roughly 14% less than in Cape Girardeau, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cape Girardeau, MO 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.76 $17.76

-30.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$58.6 $58.6

4.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.12 $7.12

5.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$6.02 $6.02

-26.74%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.68 $2.68

-35.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.87 $1.87

-29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.99 $2.99

9.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$7.71 $7.71

-42.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.03 $1.03

51.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.23 $2.23

35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$7.44 $7.44

-66.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.06 $3.06

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.14 $15.14

-50.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$18.63 $18.63

-43.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$25.29 $25.29

-44.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.36 $3.36

-30.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.93 $1.93

-16.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$11.43 $11.43

-58.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$8.88 $8.88

-81.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.14 $2.14

77.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$6.00 $6.00

-38.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.89 $2.89

-60.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.47 $2.47

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$7.34 $7.34

-29.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.06 $12.06

64.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.77 $1.77

63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$8.09 $8.09

-55.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.80 $0.80

90.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$30.6K $30.6K

-29.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.8K $24.8K

39.28%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$201 $201

-52.02%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$42.29 $42.29

-15.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$80.7 $80.7

-33.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$20.39 $20.39

251.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$14.98 $14.98

-47.33%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$818 $818

-39.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$45.40 $45.40

18.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$39.35 $39.35

40.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$84.4 $84.4

-7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$39.98 $39.98

99.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$777 $777

1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$861 $861

-7.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,572 $1,572

150.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,672 $1,672

-15.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,444 $1,444

378.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,438 $1,438

-14.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,408 $2,408

-64.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.45

33.64%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Girardeau, MO: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$861 40.4% 8.4% $66

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$516 24.3% 46.6% $164

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$284 13.4% 34.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$324 15.2% 74.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$94 4.4% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cape Girardeau, MO

$50 2.4% 42.4% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cape Girardeau, MO

- * 0% 100%

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 $777 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Girardeau, MO pays 179% 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 $59.0 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $516, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Cape Girardeau, MO

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

37,941

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cape Girardeau, MO 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cape Girardeau, MO

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 Cape Girardeau, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Cape Girardeau, MO. 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 $777 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Cape Girardeau, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,129 in Cape Girardeau, MO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cape Girardeau, MO. 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 Cape Girardeau, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cape Girardeau, MO 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 16% less than in Cape Girardeau, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.