Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Waterford, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,403 in Waterford, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Waterford, MI
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Waterford, MI Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Waterford, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Waterford, MI

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 Waterford, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $2,403 in Waterford, MI, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Waterford, MI $2,403

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $3,641 in Waterford, MI, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Waterford, MI $3,641

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $4,879 in Waterford, MI, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Waterford, MI $4,879

Nosara is about 23% cheaper than Waterford, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Waterford, MI sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Waterford, MI by 77%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$18.36 $18.36

-32.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$74.2 $74.2

-18.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$9.35 $9.35

-15.72%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.59 $4.59

-4.14%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.81 $2.81

-38.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.67 $1.67

-19.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$5.92 $5.92

-43.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.41 $4.41

2.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$0.85 $0.85

92.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.61 $3.61

-12.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$3.25 $3.25

-26.46%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.03 $2.03

70.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$10.99 $10.99

-35.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$13.86 $13.86

-25.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$14.61 $14.61

-4.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$4.88 $4.88

-53.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.07 $1.07

51.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$5.55 $5.55

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.51 $4.51

-62.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$2.17 $2.17

80.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$3.60 $3.60

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.23 $2.23

-49.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$2.43 $2.43

8.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$10.32 $10.32

-51.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$14.76 $14.76

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.04 $2.04

42.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.49 $2.49

42.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$2.01 $2.01

-39.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$59.0 $59.0

25.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$4.61 $4.61

-53.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.94 $1.94

-15.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$31.80 $31.80

-72.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.06 $1.06

46.23%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$27.3K $27.3K

24.29%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$26.0K $26.0K

47.81%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$132 $132

-28.01%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$49.02 $49.02

-25.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$72.3 $72.3

-28.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$40.91 $40.91

65.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$13.49 $13.49

-44.11%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$893 $893

-44.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$21.2K $21.2K

-44.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$64.1 $64.1

-13.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$77.2 $77.2

-27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$97.1 $97.1

-19.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$119 $119

-33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,738 $1,738

-52.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,170 $1,170

-31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,452 $2,452

62.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$2,092 $2,092

-31.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$3,066 $3,066

130.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$2,352 $2,352

-49.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.82

26.39%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Waterford, MI: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Waterford, MI

$1.2K 48.7% 45.2% $364

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Waterford, MI

$384 16% 9.3% $33

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Waterford, MI

$286 11.9% 34.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Waterford, MI

$254 10.6% 38.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Waterford, MI

$161 6.7% 33.2% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Waterford, MI

$81 3.4% 8.5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Waterford, MI

$68 2.8% 17.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,738 in Waterford, MI. 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 $74 in Waterford, MI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $384 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇸 Waterford, MI

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,517

💱 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 Waterford, MI 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Waterford, MI

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 Waterford, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $2,403 in Waterford, MI – Nosara comes out roughly 23% 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 $3,605 in Waterford, MI. 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 $1,738 in Waterford, MI.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Waterford, MI. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $893 in Waterford, MI. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $2,403 in Waterford, MI, 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.