Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocean Shores, WA and Nosara

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.

137

Cost of Living Index in Ocean Shores, WA
Learn more

Ocean Shores, WA Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ocean Shores, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,814

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ocean Shores, WA and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ocean Shores, WA costs about 52% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.79 $24.79

$12.36 ₡5,575

100.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$60.8 ₡27.4K

66.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.22 $15.22

$7.88 ₡3,557

93.15%

Cappuccino

$6.77 $6.77

$4.40 ₡1,986

53.86%

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

$3.15 $3.15

$1.72 ₡776

83.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.34 ₡603

134.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.34 ₡1,505

143.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.54 ₡2,048

79.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.64 ₡739

-29.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.16 ₡1,426

2.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.39 ₡1,080

124.69%

Eggs

$3.46 $3.46

$3.47 ₡1,564

-0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

$7.13 ₡3,217

56.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$10.32 ₡4,655

-39.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$13.97 ₡6,302

18.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.29 ₡1,031

95.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.62 ₡731

14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.81 ₡2,169

-29.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 $6.29

$1.68 ₡758

274.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.91 ₡1,765

-10.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.63 ₡1,640

-12.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.13 ₡509

73.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.63 ₡1,188

-25.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.42 $12.42

$5.02 ₡2,267

147.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$19.71 ₡8,893

-25.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.91 ₡1,314

-25.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.54 ₡1,597

-44.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.21 ₡545

61.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 $59.7

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-19.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.15 ₡969

24.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.63 ₡738

5.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.49 $29.49

$8.77 ₡3,958

236.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.55 ₡700

-8.39%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

9.27%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-33.08%

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

$302 $302

$95.2 ₡43.0K

216.72%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$36.29 ₡16.4K

89.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 $87.5

$52.0 ₡23.5K

68.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.13 $35.13

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-48.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$18.30 $18.30

$7.54 ₡3,404

142.71%

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

$2,796 $2,796

$496 ₡224.0K

463.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K $31.0K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

163.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 $80.0

$55.1 ₡24.9K

45.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 $55.3

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-1.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$77.8 ₡35.1K

63.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$79.1 ₡35.7K

102.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 $1,413

$817 ₡368.9K

72.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$806 ₡363.6K

54.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,604 $2,604

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-34.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 $2,071

$1,429 ₡644.9K

44.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,770 $2,770

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-60.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 $2,491

$1,197 ₡540.1K

108.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ocean Shores, WA

$1.2K 44.2%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 35.2% $438

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ocean Shores, WA

$458 16.3%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 59.9% $274

Eating Out

Ocean Shores, WA

$407 14.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 47.6% $194

Groceries & Markets

Ocean Shores, WA

$365 13%

Nosara

$351 19% 3.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ocean Shores, WA

$190 6.8%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 36.6% $70

Getting Around

Ocean Shores, WA

$79 2.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 12.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Ocean Shores, WA

$72 2.6%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 15.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,413 in Ocean Shores, WA versus $817 in Nosara. 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 $101 in Ocean Shores, WA versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ocean Shores, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

1 h ahead of Ocean Shores, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,700

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Ocean Shores, WA
Nosara

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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,221 per month in Ocean Shores, WA and $2,769 in Nosara. 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 $2,796 per month in Ocean Shores, WA and $496 in Nosara. 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.