Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Great Falls, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,223 in Great Falls, MT, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Great Falls, MT
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Great Falls, MT Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Great Falls, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Great Falls, MT

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 Great Falls, MT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,844 per month in Nosara vs $2,223 in Great Falls, MT, rent included.

Nosara $1,844
Great Falls, MT $2,223

A couple spends around $2,817 per month in Nosara vs $3,105 in Great Falls, MT, rent included.

Nosara $2,817
Great Falls, MT $3,105

A family of three spends $3,790 per month in Nosara vs $3,987 in Great Falls, MT, rent included.

Nosara $3,790
Great Falls, MT $3,987

Nosara is about 17% cheaper than Great Falls, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Great Falls, MT sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Great Falls, MT by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,568

$15.08 $15.08

-17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$39.24 $39.24

54.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$9.70 $9.70

-19.48%

Cappuccino

$4.37 ₡1,966

$4.38 $4.38

-0.23%

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

$1.78 ₡800

$2.45 $2.45

-27.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡605

$1.95 $1.95

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$5.97 $5.97

-43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,939

$6.09 $6.09

-29.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.11 $1.11

39.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,425

$3.33 $3.33

-4.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$5.00 $5.00

-49.80%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.27 $3.27

7.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 ₡3,313

$16.62 $16.62

-55.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,703

$10.19 $10.19

2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,255

$12.15 $12.15

14.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.96 $4.96

-54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.40 $1.40

11.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,113

$4.14 $4.14

13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$2.21 $2.21

-26.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,746

$2.39 $2.39

62.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,704

$2.91 $2.91

30.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡481

$2.40 $2.40

-55.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,174

$3.27 $3.27

-20.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,319

$8.47 $8.47

-39.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,143

$17.94 $17.94

13.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$2.01 $2.01

44.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,651

$4.43 $4.43

-17.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

$29.78 $29.78

145.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₡984

$6.16 $6.16

-64.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡829

$1.35 $1.35

36.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$39.70 $39.70

-80.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.98 $0.98

59.18%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$32.7K $32.7K

2.11%

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

$38.1K ₡17.1M

$24.1K $24.1K

58.03%

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

$95.9 ₡43.1K

$131 $131

-26.76%

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

$35.37 ₡15.9K

$39.45 $39.45

-10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 ₡24.1K

$68.4 $68.4

-21.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.3K

$63.4 $63.4

6.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,473

$11.57 $11.57

-33.28%

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

$496 ₡222.8K

$927 $927

-46.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$17.7K $17.7K

-32.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$25.14 $25.14

117.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$29.60 $29.60

85.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ₡35.9K

$80.7 $80.7

-1.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$64.4 $64.4

21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.5K

$1,420 $1,420

-42.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

$1,111 $1,111

-27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,889 ₡1.7M

$2,626 $2,626

48.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡627.6K

$1,655 $1,655

-15.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

$2,207 $2,207

216.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡549.6K

$2,205 $2,205

-44.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

$3,555 $3,555

-75.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.2

39.03%

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

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Last update for Great Falls, MT: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$800 43.4%

Great Falls, MT

$1.1K 50% 38.8% $311

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$353 19.1%

Great Falls, MT

$392 17.7% 11.3% $40

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Great Falls, MT

$262 11.8% 22.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$185 10%

Great Falls, MT

$239 10.7% 29.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Great Falls, MT

$90 4.1% 25.3% $30

Getting Around

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Great Falls, MT

$43 * 1.9% 52.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Great Falls, MT

$87 3.9% 4.4% $3.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,420 in Great Falls, MT. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Great Falls, MT are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $39 in Great Falls, MT. Groceries tell a different story – $353 in Nosara vs $392 in Great Falls, MT – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Great Falls, MT

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

60,442

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Great Falls, MT 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Great Falls, MT

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 Great Falls, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Great Falls, MT costs about 21% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,765 per month in Nosara and $3,334 in Great Falls, MT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,420 in Great Falls, MT.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Great Falls, MT, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $39 in Great Falls, MT. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,844 in Nosara and $2,223 in Great Falls, MT, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Great Falls, MT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.