Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Elgin, IL

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 Elgin, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,035 in Elgin, IL.

Nosara $1,837
Elgin, IL $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,614 in Elgin, IL.

Nosara $2,775
Elgin, IL $2,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $4,192 in Elgin, IL.

Nosara $3,712
Elgin, IL $4,192

Living in Nosara is roughly 78% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Elgin, IL is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$19.93 $19.93

-38.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$59.5 $59.5

1.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.07 $10.07

-25.12%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.90 $3.90

10.51%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$3.03 $3.03

-43.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.05 $2.05

-34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$5.96 $5.96

-45.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.92 $4.92

-8.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.89 $0.89

76.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.54 $3.54

-10.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$4.34 $4.34

-44.24%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.73 $3.73

-4.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$11.35 $11.35

-34.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$13.45 $13.45

-22.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.71 $11.71

16.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.49 $4.49

-48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.27 $1.27

26.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.57 $2.57

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.22 $4.22

-60.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.99 $1.99

86.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.08 $2.08

71.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.84 $1.84

-40.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.37 $2.37

7.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$10.79 $10.79

-54.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$15.56 $15.56

28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.62 $2.62

6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.49 $3.49

1.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$4.06 $4.06

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.02 $2.02

-23.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$28.28 $28.28

-68.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.04 $1.04

50.96%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$36.5K $36.5K

-40.31%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.9K $24.9K

38.92%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$99.4 $99.4

-5.95%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$52.2 $52.2

-32.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$49.61 $49.61

3.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$14.76 $14.76

-46.88%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$1,690 $1,690

-71.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$23.2K $23.2K

-48.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$39.27 $39.27

36.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$50.2 $50.2

11.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$100 $100

-21.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$122 $122

-35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,175 $2,175

77.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,811 $1,811

-22.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,192 $2,192

218.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,211 $2,211

-45.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$3,971 $3,971

-77.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.69

28.85%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3% 6.3% $22

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1% 41.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1% 11.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3% 16.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8% 66.1% $58

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 83.7% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 353% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $59.0 in Elgin, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $371, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

112,603

💱 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 11, 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Elgin, IL 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Elgin, IL

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 Elgin, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 353% lower in Elgin, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $1,690 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Nosara and Elgin, IL 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 Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.