Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Defuniak Springs, FL

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,458 in Defuniak Springs, FL, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Defuniak Springs, FL
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Defuniak Springs, FL Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Defuniak Springs, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Defuniak Springs, FL

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 Defuniak Springs, FL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,458 in Defuniak Springs, FL.

Nosara $1,837
Defuniak Springs, FL $2,458

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $3,623 in Defuniak Springs, FL.

Nosara $2,775
Defuniak Springs, FL $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $4,788 in Defuniak Springs, FL.

Nosara $3,712
Defuniak Springs, FL $4,788

Living in Nosara costs roughly 25% less than in Defuniak Springs, FL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Defuniak Springs, FL 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$26.65 $26.65

-54.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$81.1 $81.1

-25.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$12.06 $12.06

-37.48%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$5.11 $5.11

-15.66%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.68 $2.68

-35.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.00 $2.00

-32.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.09 $5.09

-36.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$7.19 $7.19

-37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.94 $0.94

67.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.71 $3.71

-14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.96 $1.96

23.47%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.88 $2.88

23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.28 $11.28

-34.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$10.35 $10.35

0.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$14.00 $14.00

-2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.12 $4.12

-43.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.54 $1.54

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$4.33 $4.33

9.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.12 $2.12

-21.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.88 $1.88

97.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.88 $1.88

89.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.67 $1.67

-34.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.23 $2.23

14.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$7.36 $7.36

-32.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.80 $10.80

85.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.82 $1.82

53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.98 $1.98

78.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.89 $1.89

-37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.51 $2.51

-10.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.51 $1.51

2.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$27.88 $27.88

-68.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.95 $0.95

65.26%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$37.4K $37.4K

-41.72%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$25.8K $25.8K

34.01%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$147 $147

-36.59%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$50.2 $50.2

-29.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$64.5 $64.5

-20.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$42.08 $42.08

69.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.04 $7.04

11.36%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$982 $982

-50.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$13.7K $13.7K

-13.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$23.65 $23.65

126.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$17.01 $17.01

227.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$95.6 $95.6

-17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$106 $106

-25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,601 $1,601

-50.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$1,292 $1,292

-39.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,488 $2,488

55.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$2,176 $2,176

-35.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,773 $2,773

151.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,423 $2,423

-50.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,094 $3,094

-71.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.42

34.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Defuniak Springs, FL: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$1.3K 53.1% 65.6% $512

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$329 13.5% 6% $21

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$369 15.2% 76.3% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$262 10.8% 45.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$109 4.5% 9.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$56 2.3% 35.5% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Defuniak Springs, FL

$18 * 0.7% 79.7% $69

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 $786 in Nosara and $1,601 in Defuniak Springs, FL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Defuniak Springs, FL pays 253% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $81.0 in Defuniak Springs, FL. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $329, with Defuniak Springs, FL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Defuniak Springs, FL

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

18:53 6:53 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

6,500

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Defuniak Springs, FL 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Defuniak Springs, FL

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 Defuniak Springs, FL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Defuniak Springs, FL differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $2,458 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 253% lower in Defuniak Springs, FL. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $1,601 in Defuniak Springs, FL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Defuniak Springs, FL pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $2,458 in Defuniak Springs, FL – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,458 in Defuniak Springs, FL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Defuniak Springs, FL. 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, Nosara and Defuniak Springs, FL 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 34% less than in Defuniak Springs, FL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.