Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Fort Collins, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
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Fort Collins, CO Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Fort Collins, CO

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 Fort Collins, CO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,844 in Nosara versus $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO.

Nosara $1,844
Fort Collins, CO $2,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,817 in Nosara versus $3,967 in Fort Collins, CO.

Nosara $2,817
Fort Collins, CO $3,967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,790 in Nosara versus $5,119 in Fort Collins, CO.

Nosara $3,790
Fort Collins, CO $5,119

Living in Nosara costs roughly 35% less than in Fort Collins, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Fort Collins, CO 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,568

$22.17 $22.17

-44.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$80.8 $80.8

-24.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$11.16 $11.16

-30.02%

Cappuccino

$4.37 ₡1,966

$6.28 $6.28

-30.41%

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

$1.78 ₡800

$2.43 $2.43

-26.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡605

$2.08 $2.08

-35.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$7.05 $7.05

-51.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,939

$6.91 $6.91

-37.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.04 $1.04

49.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,425

$2.88 $2.88

10.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$2.79 $2.79

-10.04%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.28 $4.28

-17.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 ₡3,313

$10.91 $10.91

-32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,703

$9.09 $9.09

15.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,255

$19.04 $19.04

-26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.96 $4.96

-54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.58 $1.58

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,113

$4.64 $4.64

1.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$5.29 $5.29

-69.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,746

$3.44 $3.44

12.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,704

$4.72 $4.72

-19.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡481

$2.26 $2.26

-52.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,174

$1.71 $1.71

52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,319

$10.38 $10.38

-50.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,143

$16.63 $16.63

22.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$2.48 $2.48

17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,651

$2.61 $2.61

40.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₡984

$2.52 $2.52

-13.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡829

$1.85 $1.85

-0.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$24.65 $24.65

-68.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.07 $1.07

45.79%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$28.2K $28.2K

18.41%

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

$38.1K ₡17.1M

$25.7K $25.7K

48.20%

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

$95.9 ₡43.1K

$211 $211

-54.52%

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

$35.37 ₡15.9K

$56.0 $56.0

-36.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 ₡24.1K

$70.4 $70.4

-23.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.3K

$50.3 $50.3

34.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

$30.35 $30.35

16.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,473

$12.12 $12.12

-36.30%

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

$496 ₡222.8K

$1,294 $1,294

-61.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.5K $11.5K

2.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$59.3 $59.3

-7.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$68.1 $68.1

-19.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ₡35.9K

$81.6 $81.6

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$116 $116

-32.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.5K

$1,876 $1,876

-56.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

$1,510 $1,510

-47.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,889 ₡1.7M

$2,852 $2,852

36.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡627.6K

$2,194 $2,194

-36.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

$4,047 $4,047

72.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡549.6K

$2,856 $2,856

-57.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

$4,357 $4,357

-79.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.77

27.33%

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

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$800 43.4%

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.6% 88.7% $710

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$353 19.1%

Fort Collins, CO

$382 13.6% 8.4% $30

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Fort Collins, CO

$353 12.6% 65.8% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$185 10%

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12% 82.3% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Fort Collins, CO

$146 5.2% 21.6% $26

Getting Around

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4% 86.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Fort Collins, CO

$75 2.7% 10% $8.3

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 $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Collins, CO pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $81 in Fort Collins, CO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $382 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

148,612

💱 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 = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Fort Collins, CO 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Fort Collins, CO

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 Fort Collins, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Fort Collins, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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 $1,876 in Fort Collins, CO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Fort Collins, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,844 per month in Nosara versus $2,815 in Fort Collins, CO – Nosara is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value at $1,844 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Fort Collins, CO are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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