Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orem, UT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,487 in Orem, UT, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Orem, UT
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Orem, UT Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Orem, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,487

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,487 per month in Orem, UT vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Orem, UT $2,487
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,371 per month in Orem, UT vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Orem, UT $3,371
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,254 per month in Orem, UT vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Orem, UT $4,254
Nosara $3,790

Orem, UT costs about 35% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Orem, UT and Nosara sit above the global median – Orem, UT by 84%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 $14.87

$12.38 ₡5,578

20.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$60.6 ₡27.3K

-1.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 $11.05

$7.81 ₡3,519

41.49%

Cappuccino

$4.44 $4.44

$4.37 ₡1,969

1.60%

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

$1.78 $1.78

$1.78 ₡802

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.35 ₡606

9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.39 ₡1,528

79.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.31 ₡1,943

65.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡700

-34.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.17 ₡1,428

-1.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.51 ₡1,132

-2.79%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$3.53 ₡1,588

-15.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$7.37 ₡3,319

90.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$10.46 ₡4,712

24.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 $19.44

$13.91 ₡6,266

39.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.26 ₡1,020

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 ₡703

6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$4.70 ₡2,116

-47.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.62 ₡730

175.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,749

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$3.79 ₡1,707

-65.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.07 ₡482

61.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.61 ₡1,176

-26.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$5.16 ₡2,323

88.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$20.33 ₡9,160

-26.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.91 ₡1,313

-24.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.67 ₡1,654

-19.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.31 ₡589

93.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.5 $84.5

$73.2 ₡33.0K

15.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.19 ₡986

-32.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.84 ₡831

-47.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.03 $20.03

$7.81 ₡3,520

156.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.56 ₡703

-28.85%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$33.4K ₡15.1M

-24.59%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-30.49%

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

$166 $166

$95.9 ₡43.2K

73.66%

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

$43.98 $43.98

$35.37 ₡15.9K

24.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$53.7 ₡24.2K

12.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.40 $22.40

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-66.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.08 $15.08

$7.72 ₡3,479

95.34%

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

$786 $786

$496 ₡223.3K

58.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

8.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.64 $40.64

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-26.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$79.8 ₡36.0K

7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$77.9 ₡35.1K

69.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$817 ₡368.1K

100.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$800 ₡360.4K

61.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-43.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$1,396 ₡628.7K

18.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,636 $2,636

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-62.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,222 ₡550.6K

79.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,693 $3,693

$879 ₡396.0K

320.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

8.62

-20.77%

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

Last update for Orem, UT: October 31, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Orem, UT

$1.3K 52.1%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 38.2% $495

Groceries & Markets

Orem, UT

$365 * 14.7%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 3.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orem, UT

$271 10.9%

Nosara

$185 10% 31.7% $86

Eating Out

Orem, UT

$263 10.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 19% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Orem, UT

$140 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14.2% $20

Getting Around

Orem, UT

$101 4.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 11% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Orem, UT

$53 2.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 57.7% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,638 in Orem, UT 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.

Salaries in Orem, UT are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Orem, UT versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $365 in Orem, UT vs $353 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Orem, UT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h ahead of Orem, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,129

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Orem, UT Nosara 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Orem, UT
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

Orem, UT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,487 in Orem, UT, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,731 per month in Orem, UT and $2,765 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 $1,638 in Orem, UT.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Orem, UT, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,487 in Orem, UT and $1,844 in Nosara, 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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