Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Missoula, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,609 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Missoula, 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 Missoula, MT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,844 in Nosara versus $2,609 in Missoula, MT.

Nosara $1,844
Missoula, MT $2,609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,817 in Nosara versus $4,087 in Missoula, MT.

Nosara $2,817
Missoula, MT $4,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,790 in Nosara versus $5,565 in Missoula, MT.

Nosara $3,790
Missoula, MT $5,565

Living in Nosara costs roughly 29% less than in Missoula, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Missoula, MT 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,568

$16.73 $16.73

-26.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$75.3 $75.3

-19.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$9.27 $9.27

-15.75%

Cappuccino

$4.37 ₡1,966

$4.37 $4.37

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

$1.78 ₡800

$3.10 $3.10

-42.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡605

$2.34 $2.34

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$5.86 $5.86

-42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,939

$5.93 $5.93

-27.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.12 $1.12

38.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,425

$3.44 $3.44

-7.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$4.98 $4.98

-49.60%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.27 $4.27

-17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 ₡3,313

$24.81 $24.81

-70.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,703

$9.67 $9.67

8.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,255

$18.98 $18.98

-26.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.81 $4.81

-53.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.46 $1.46

6.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,113

$6.51 $6.51

-27.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$3.73 $3.73

-56.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,746

$2.33 $2.33

66.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,704

$2.96 $2.96

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡481

$2.41 $2.41

-55.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,174

$3.90 $3.90

-33.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,319

$10.50 $10.50

-50.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,143

$24.82 $24.82

-18.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$1.98 $1.98

46.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,651

$4.38 $4.38

-16.21%

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

$5.13 $5.13

-57.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡829

$4.99 $4.99

-63.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,513

$39.29 $39.29

-80.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.09 $1.09

43.12%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$32.3K $32.3K

3.42%

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

$38.1K ₡17.1M

$24.5K $24.5K

55.10%

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

$95.9 ₡43.1K

$139 $139

-30.95%

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

$35.37 ₡15.9K

$52.7 $52.7

-32.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 ₡24.1K

$69.2 $69.2

-22.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.3K

$49.22 $49.22

37.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

$22.25 $22.25

59.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,473

$13.75 $13.75

-43.85%

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

$496 ₡222.8K

$2,009 $2,009

-75.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$17.7K $17.7K

-32.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ₡24.6K

$66.4 $66.4

-17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$44.46 $44.46

23.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ₡35.9K

$104 $104

-23.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$149 $149

-47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.5K

$1,522 $1,522

-46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

$1,324 $1,324

-39.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,889 ₡1.7M

$2,992 $2,992

30.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 ₡627.6K

$2,649 $2,649

-47.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

$4,211 $4,211

65.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡549.6K

$3,475 $3,475

-64.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

$3,666 $3,666

-76.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.84

26.02%

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

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Last update for Missoula, MT: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$800 43.4%

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 50.7% 65.4% $523

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$353 19.1%

Missoula, MT

$477 18.3% 35.4% $125

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Missoula, MT

$277 10.6% 30% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$185 10%

Missoula, MT

$261 10% 41% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Missoula, MT

$164 6.3% 36.3% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Missoula, MT

$30 * 1.2% 66.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Missoula, MT

$77 2.9% 7.5% $6.2

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 $1,522 in Missoula, MT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $75 in Missoula, MT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $477 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

73,489

💱 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 Missoula, MT 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Missoula, 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 Missoula, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 76% 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 $1,522 in Missoula, MT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Nosara versus $2,009 in Missoula, MT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61 versus $75 in Missoula, MT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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

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