Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Bridge and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,472 in Old Bridge, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Old Bridge
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Old Bridge Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Old Bridge

🇺🇸 United States

$2,472

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,472 per month in Old Bridge vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Old Bridge $2,472
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,499 per month in Old Bridge vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Old Bridge $3,499
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,525 per month in Old Bridge vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Old Bridge $4,525
Nosara $3,814

Old Bridge costs about 35% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Old Bridge and Nosara sit above the global median – Old Bridge by 82%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.78 $16.78

$12.34 ₡5,535

35.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.1 $65.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

6.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 $8.07

$7.76 ₡3,481

3.99%

Cappuccino

$3.06 $3.06

$4.44 ₡1,992

-31.08%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.79 ₡803

43.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.29 ₡580

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.24 ₡1,451

-5.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$4.43 ₡1,985

-23.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.55 ₡696

-14.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.08 ₡1,380

42.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.53 ₡1,133

138.34%

Eggs

$6.89 $6.89

$3.45 ₡1,546

99.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$7.32 ₡3,284

91.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$10.24 ₡4,594

-0.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 $20.13

$14.10 ₡6,326

42.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.29 ₡1,027

158.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.64 ₡737

112.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$4.79 ₡2,149

-11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.64 ₡735

228.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.85 ₡1,727

-18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.75 ₡1,681

-20.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.09 ₡488

186.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.59 ₡1,160

19.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 $14.69

$5.12 ₡2,295

186.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.80 ₡1,255

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.52 ₡1,580

3.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.22 ₡549

81.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.17 ₡973

42.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.56 ₡698

37.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 $41.45

$8.67 ₡3,886

378.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.55 ₡697

-29.68%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.79%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.83%

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

$173 $173

$94.8 ₡42.5K

82.31%

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

$29.47 $29.47

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-18.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 $45.88

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-13.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 $45.34

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-38.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$20.15 $20.15

$7.91 ₡3,548

154.74%

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

$1,996 $1,996

$490 ₡219.9K

307.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

37.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.93 $31.93

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-41.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 $41.58

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-25.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

29.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 $1,500

$801 ₡359.1K

87.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 $1,303

$790 ₡354.1K

65.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,785 $2,785

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,409 ₡632.0K

34.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,812 $2,812

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,446 $2,446

$1,236 ₡554.3K

97.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,024 $3,024

$887 ₡397.6K

241.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

8.62

-21.11%

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

Last update for Old Bridge: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Old Bridge

$1.3K 52.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.4% $514

Groceries & Markets

Old Bridge

$468 18.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 25.3% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Bridge

$248 10%

Nosara

$184 10% 25.9% $64

Eating Out

Old Bridge

$234 9.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 8.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Old Bridge

$111 4.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Old Bridge

$86 3.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 4.6% $4

Getting Around

Old Bridge

$23 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 292% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,500 in Old Bridge versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 241% higher in Old Bridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Old Bridge versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Old Bridge

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

22:32 10:32 PM

2 h behind Old Bridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,753

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Old Bridge Nosara 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Old Bridge
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

Old Bridge vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,472 in Old Bridge, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,709 per month in Old Bridge and $2,753 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Old Bridge and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Old Bridge, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Old Bridge at $2,472. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Old Bridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $2,472 in Old Bridge. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Old Bridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.