Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,240 in Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Portland, ME
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Portland, ME Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,240

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,240 per month in Portland, ME vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Portland, ME $3,240
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,789 per month in Portland, ME vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Portland, ME $4,789
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $6,339 per month in Portland, ME vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Portland, ME $6,339
Nosara $3,814

Portland, ME costs about 77% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Portland, ME and Nosara sit above the global median – Portland, ME by 139%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.68 $24.68

$12.34 ₡5,535

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$61.3 ₡27.5K

96.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$7.76 ₡3,481

56.70%

Cappuccino

$6.04 $6.04

$4.44 ₡1,992

36.04%

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

$3.18 $3.18

$1.79 ₡803

77.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.29 ₡580

90.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$3.24 ₡1,451

140.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

77.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 ₡696

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.08 ₡1,380

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.38 $8.38

$2.53 ₡1,133

231.23%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$3.45 ₡1,546

16.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.75 $18.75

$7.32 ₡3,284

156.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.24 ₡4,594

-1.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$14.10 ₡6,326

13.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.29 ₡1,027

110.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.64 ₡737

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.79 ₡2,149

26.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$1.64 ₡735

323.17%

Potato (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$3.85 ₡1,727

67.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.75 ₡1,681

0.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.09 ₡488

190.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.59 ₡1,160

-4.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.42 $12.42

$5.12 ₡2,295

142.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 $14.91

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.80 ₡1,255

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.52 ₡1,580

-27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.22 ₡549

59.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-18.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.17 ₡973

-10.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.56 ₡698

-3.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 $11.12

$8.67 ₡3,886

28.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡697

-32.26%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.96%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.43%

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

$227 $227

$94.8 ₡42.5K

139.69%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$36.15 ₡16.2K

91.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

44.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.8 $65.8

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-10.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.03 $40.03

$35.63 ₡16.0K

12.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 $14.27

$7.91 ₡3,548

80.40%

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

$815 $815

$490 ₡219.9K

66.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K $32.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

176.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-3.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.9 $78.9

$55.9 ₡25.1K

41.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$80.4 ₡36.0K

28.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$77.9 ₡34.9K

71.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 $2,210

$801 ₡359.1K

176.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 $1,675

$790 ₡354.1K

112.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,348 $3,348

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-16.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,409 ₡632.0K

91.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,171 $4,171

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-40.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,954 $3,954

$1,236 ₡554.3K

219.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,584 $4,584

$887 ₡397.6K

417.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

8.62

-24.59%

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

Last update for Portland, ME: 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

Portland, ME

$1.7K 51.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 52.9% $885

Groceries & Markets

Portland, ME

$470 14.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 25.6% $120

Eating Out

Portland, ME

$384 11.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 44.6% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, ME

$373 11.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.7% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, ME

$166 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, ME

$94 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 5% $4.7

Getting Around

Portland, ME

$78 2.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,210 in Portland, ME 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 417% higher in Portland, ME, 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 $120 in Portland, ME versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, ME

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

2 h behind Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Portland, ME Nosara 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, ME
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

Portland, ME vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,240 in Portland, ME, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,860 per month in Portland, ME 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.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Portland, ME 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 $1,835, than in Portland, ME at $3,240. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portland, ME it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Portland, ME has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,835 in Nosara to $3,240 in Portland, ME. 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, Portland, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.