Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ocean Shores, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,814 in Ocean Shores, WA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
137

Cost of Living Index in Ocean Shores, WA
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Ocean Shores, WA Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Ocean Shores, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ocean Shores, WA

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 Ocean Shores, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $2,814 in Ocean Shores, WA, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Ocean Shores, WA $2,814

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $4,147 in Ocean Shores, WA, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Ocean Shores, WA $4,147

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $5,480 in Ocean Shores, WA, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Ocean Shores, WA $5,480

Nosara is about 34% cheaper than Ocean Shores, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Ocean Shores, WA sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Ocean Shores, WA by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$24.79 $24.79

-50.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$101 $101

-39.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$15.22 $15.22

-48.23%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$6.77 $6.77

-35.01%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$3.15 $3.15

-45.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$3.14 $3.14

-57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$8.13 $8.13

-58.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$8.16 $8.16

-44.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.15 $1.15

42.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.25 $3.25

-2.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$5.37 $5.37

-55.49%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.46 $3.46

0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$11.19 $11.19

-36.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$6.22 $6.22

65.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$16.50 $16.50

-15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$4.47 $4.47

-48.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.86 $1.86

-12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$3.37 $3.37

42.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$6.29 $6.29

-73.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.49 $3.49

12.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$3.16 $3.16

14.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.96 $1.96

-42.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.97 $1.97

33.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$12.42 $12.42

-59.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$14.75 $14.75

33.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.18 $2.18

33.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$1.98 $1.98

78.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.96 $1.96

-38.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$59.7 $59.7

23.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.67 $2.67

-19.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.72 $1.72

-5.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$29.49 $29.49

-70.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.42 $1.42

9.15%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$37.0K $37.0K

-8.48%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$25.7K $25.7K

49.42%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$302 $302

-68.43%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$68.6 $68.6

-47.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$87.5 $87.5

-40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$35.13 $35.13

92.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$18.30 $18.30

-58.80%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$2,796 $2,796

-82.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$31.0K $31.0K

-61.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$80.0 $80.0

-31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$55.3 $55.3

1.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$127 $127

-38.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$160 $160

-50.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,413 $1,413

-42.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,244 $1,244

-35.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,604 $2,604

53.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$2,071 $2,071

-31.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$2,770 $2,770

155.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$2,491 $2,491

-51.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ocean Shores, WA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Ocean Shores, WA

$1.2K 44.2% 54.3% $438

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Ocean Shores, WA

$365 13% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Ocean Shores, WA

$407 14.5% 91% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Ocean Shores, WA

$458 16.3% 149% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Ocean Shores, WA

$190 6.8% 57.6% $70

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Ocean Shores, WA

$79 2.8% 11.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Ocean Shores, WA

$72 2.6% 13.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,413 in Ocean Shores, WA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $101 in Ocean Shores, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $365 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Ocean Shores, WA

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

1 h behind Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

6,700

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Ocean Shores, WA 5,480 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ocean Shores, WA

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 Ocean Shores, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $2,814 in Ocean Shores, WA – Nosara comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $4,221 in Ocean Shores, WA. 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 $1,413 in Ocean Shores, WA.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Ocean Shores, WA. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $2,796 in Ocean Shores, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.