Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmetto, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,655 in Palmetto, FL, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Palmetto, FL
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Palmetto, FL Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Palmetto, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,655

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,655 per month in Palmetto, FL vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Palmetto, FL $2,655
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $3,844 per month in Palmetto, FL vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Palmetto, FL $3,844
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $5,033 per month in Palmetto, FL vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Palmetto, FL $5,033
Nosara $3,820

Palmetto, FL costs about 44% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palmetto, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Palmetto, FL by 95%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 $22.46

$12.36 ₡5,575

81.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$60.8 ₡27.4K

14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$7.88 ₡3,557

49.62%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.40 ₡1,986

26.59%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.72 ₡776

48.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.34 ₡603

38.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.34 ₡1,505

84.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$4.54 ₡2,048

68.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.64 ₡739

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.16 ₡1,426

3.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.39 ₡1,080

40.59%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$3.47 ₡1,564

-15.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$7.13 ₡3,217

68.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$10.32 ₡4,655

30.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.49 $19.49

$13.97 ₡6,302

39.51%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$2.29 ₡1,031

234.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.62 ₡731

21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$4.81 ₡2,169

24.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.68 ₡758

97.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$3.91 ₡1,765

-53.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.63 ₡1,640

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.13 ₡509

134.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.63 ₡1,188

-17.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$5.02 ₡2,267

86.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.80 $12.80

$19.71 ₡8,893

-35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.91 ₡1,314

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.54 ₡1,597

38.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.21 ₡545

78.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.7 $59.7

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-19.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.15 ₡969

63.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.63 ₡738

-6.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 $30.36

$8.77 ₡3,958

246.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡700

-34.84%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-17.76%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-33.95%

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

$236 $236

$95.2 ₡43.0K

147.57%

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

$37.44 $37.44

$36.29 ₡16.4K

3.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 $50.9

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-2.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 $43.55

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-35.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 $11.82

$7.54 ₡3,404

56.76%

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

$1,012 $1,012

$496 ₡224.0K

103.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K $18.2K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

54.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.95 $37.95

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-31.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.98 $48.98

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-12.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 $90.3

$77.8 ₡35.1K

16.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 $98.0

$79.1 ₡35.7K

23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$817 ₡368.9K

92.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$806 ₡363.6K

61.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 $2,095

$1,429 ₡644.9K

46.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 $2,869

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-59.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 $2,308

$1,197 ₡540.1K

92.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,434 $5,434

$888 ₡400.7K

511.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

8.62

-23.43%

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

Last update for Palmetto, FL: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmetto, FL

$1.3K 49.1%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 38.2% $498

Groceries & Markets

Palmetto, FL

$411 15.5%

Nosara

$351 19% 14.6% $60

Eating Out

Palmetto, FL

$346 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 38.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmetto, FL

$324 12.2%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 43.4% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Palmetto, FL

$124 4.7%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 2.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Palmetto, FL

$79 3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 12% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Palmetto, FL

$67 2.5%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 23% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,573 in Palmetto, FL 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 Palmetto, FL are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Palmetto, FL versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Palmetto, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

14:45 2:45 PM

2 h behind Palmetto, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,002

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

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Between locations

Palmetto, FL Nosara 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmetto, FL
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

Palmetto, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,655 in Palmetto, FL, $1,846 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,983 per month in Palmetto, FL 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 $1,573 in Palmetto, FL.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,012 per month in Palmetto, FL and $496 in Nosara. 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 $2,655 in Palmetto, FL and $1,846 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.

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