Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Merrillville, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Merrillville, IN

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 Merrillville, IN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN.

Nosara $1,835
Merrillville, IN $2,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $3,672 in Merrillville, IN.

Nosara $2,825
Merrillville, IN $3,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $4,748 in Merrillville, IN.

Nosara $3,814
Merrillville, IN $4,748

Living in Nosara costs roughly 29% less than in Merrillville, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 35% above, Merrillville, IN 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$14.93 $14.93

-17.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$55.9 $55.9

9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$9.88 $9.88

-21.46%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.63 $4.63

-4.10%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.19 $2.19

-18.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.24 $2.24

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$4.54 $4.54

-28.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$5.90 $5.90

-24.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.74 $0.74

109.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$3.19 $3.19

-3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$4.54 $4.54

-44.27%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.63 $4.63

-25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.10 $11.10

-34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$9.61 $9.61

6.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$21.94 $21.94

-35.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$5.75 $5.75

-60.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.12 $1.12

46.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.39 $4.39

9.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$5.49 $5.49

-70.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$3.68 $3.68

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$4.40 $4.40

-14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$2.45 $2.45

-55.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.27 $1.27

103.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$11.36 $11.36

-54.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$12.22 $12.22

63.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.08 $2.08

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.43 $3.43

2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$2.02 $2.02

-39.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.95 $4.95

-56.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.87 $1.87

-16.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$50.3 $50.3

-82.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$0.93 $0.93

66.67%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.9K $27.9K

23.96%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$27.0K $27.0K

43.36%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$233 $233

-59.22%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$50.9 $50.9

-28.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$59.0 $59.0

-10.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$47.50 $47.50

55.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$14.98 $14.98

-47.20%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$1,397 $1,397

-64.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$20.4K $20.4K

-41.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$53.3 $53.3

2.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$40.39 $40.39

38.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$106 $106

-24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$95.7 $95.7

-18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$1,510 $1,510

-46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$1,374 $1,374

-42.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$2,410 $2,410

66.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$2,148 $2,148

-34.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,523 $2,523

180.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,195 $2,195

-43.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.53

32.01%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9% 74.1% $585

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Merrillville, IN

$390 15% 11.6% $41

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9% 20.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2% 86.1% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Merrillville, IN

$77 3% 13.5% $12

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9% 74.7% $66

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 $801 in Nosara and $1,510 in Merrillville, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $56.0 in Merrillville, IN. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $390, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

36,444

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Merrillville, IN 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Merrillville, IN

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 Merrillville, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Merrillville, IN differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $2,597 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $3,895 in Merrillville, IN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Nosara versus $1,510 in Merrillville, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. 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 Merrillville, IN 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 41% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.