Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port St Lucie, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,821 in Port St Lucie, FL, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Port St Lucie, FL
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Port St Lucie, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Port St Lucie, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Port St Lucie, FL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Port St Lucie, FL $2,821
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,970 per month in Port St Lucie, FL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Port St Lucie, FL $3,970
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,118 per month in Port St Lucie, FL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Port St Lucie, FL $5,118
Nosara $3,712

Port St Lucie, FL costs about 54% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Port St Lucie, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Port St Lucie, FL by 111%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.11 $21.11

$12.22 ₡5,509

72.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 $79.8

$60.2 ₡27.1K

32.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 $11.38

$7.54 ₡3,399

50.93%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$4.31 ₡1,941

-0.93%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.72 ₡773

70.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.35 ₡608

75.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.24 ₡1,459

83.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.48 ₡2,018

76.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.57 ₡707

-29.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.17 ₡1,429

18.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.42 ₡1,091

89.26%

Eggs

$3.20 $3.20

$3.57 ₡1,609

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$7.43 ₡3,349

65.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 $10.98

$10.42 ₡4,697

5.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.15 $17.15

$13.66 ₡6,156

25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.32 ₡1,044

79.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.61 ₡728

11.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$4.74 ₡2,138

-55.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.66 ₡747

68.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.72 ₡1,679

-46.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.57 ₡1,611

-34.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.10 ₡497

126.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.55 ₡1,149

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 $6.88

$4.95 ₡2,232

38.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$20.01 ₡9,020

-25.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.79 ₡1,256

-36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.53 ₡1,589

5.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 $88.9

$72.1 ₡32.5K

23.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.24 ₡1,011

30.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.55 ₡701

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.95 $29.95

$8.86 ₡3,993

238.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.57 ₡708

-36.94%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

69.92%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.48%

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

$194 $194

$93.5 ₡42.1K

107.84%

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

$63.6 $63.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

81.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.2 $78.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

51.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.80 $37.80

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-47.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.17 $20.17

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-43.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 $16.23

$7.84 ₡3,535

107.02%

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

$1,591 $1,591

$490 ₡220.7K

225.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

81.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.82 $37.82

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-32.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 $92.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

17.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 $82.5

$78.9 ₡35.6K

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 $1,644

$786 ₡354.3K

109.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 $1,450

$780 ₡351.6K

85.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-34.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 $2,256

$1,407 ₡634.4K

60.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 $2,663

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-61.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,691 $2,691

$1,201 ₡541.3K

124.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,749 $3,749

$876 ₡395.0K

327.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

8.62

-25.99%

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

Last update for Port St Lucie, FL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port St Lucie, FL

$1.4K 52.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 46.2% $670

Groceries & Markets

Port St Lucie, FL

$372 13.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 6.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port St Lucie, FL

$336 12.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 46.4% $156

Eating Out

Port St Lucie, FL

$321 11.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 34.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Port St Lucie, FL

$120 4.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 0.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Port St Lucie, FL

$102 * 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Port St Lucie, FL

$70 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.9% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,644 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $786 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 328% higher in Port St Lucie, FL, 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 $80.0 in Port St Lucie, FL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Port St Lucie, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

2 h behind Port St Lucie, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,603

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port St Lucie, FL Nosara 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Port St Lucie, 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

Port St Lucie, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Port St Lucie, FL, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,232 per month in Port St Lucie, FL and $2,756 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.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,591 per month in Port St Lucie, FL and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Port St Lucie, FL at $2,821. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port St Lucie, FL 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,821 in Port St Lucie, FL. 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, Port St Lucie, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.