Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poughkeepsie, NY and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,976 in Poughkeepsie, NY, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Poughkeepsie, NY
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Poughkeepsie, NY Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Poughkeepsie, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,976

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,976 per month in Poughkeepsie, NY vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Poughkeepsie, NY $2,976
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,179 per month in Poughkeepsie, NY vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Poughkeepsie, NY $4,179
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,382 per month in Poughkeepsie, NY vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Poughkeepsie, NY $5,382
Nosara $3,712

Poughkeepsie, NY costs about 62% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Poughkeepsie, NY and Nosara sit above the global median – Poughkeepsie, NY by 122%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.57 $23.57

$12.22 ₡5,509

92.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

64.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.70 $12.70

$7.54 ₡3,399

68.44%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$4.31 ₡1,941

6.96%

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

$1.97 $1.97

$1.72 ₡773

14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.35 ₡608

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.24 ₡1,459

82.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.48 ₡2,018

75.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.57 ₡707

-35.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.17 ₡1,429

4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$2.42 ₡1,091

195.04%

Eggs

$5.28 $5.28

$3.57 ₡1,609

47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.43 ₡3,349

76.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.70 $15.70

$10.42 ₡4,697

50.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.53 $17.53

$13.66 ₡6,156

28.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.32 ₡1,044

111.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.61 ₡728

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$4.74 ₡2,138

16.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.66 ₡747

181.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.72 ₡1,679

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.57 ₡1,611

-0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.10 ₡497

84.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.55 ₡1,149

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.95 ₡2,232

189.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 $10.15

$20.01 ₡9,020

-49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.79 ₡1,256

-26.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.53 ₡1,589

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.19 ₡537

146.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.24 ₡1,011

117.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.55 ₡701

-11.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.45 $29.45

$8.86 ₡3,993

232.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.57 ₡708

-42.04%

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

$31.6K $31.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

44.97%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.04%

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

$210 $210

$93.5 ₡42.1K

124.99%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

102.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

33.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.17 $20.17

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-71.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.38 $40.38

$35.44 ₡16.0K

13.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.84 ₡3,535

92.09%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$490 ₡220.7K

204.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K $17.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

45.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

3.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 $39.85

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-28.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$79.3 ₡35.7K

41.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$78.9 ₡35.6K

38.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 $1,675

$786 ₡354.3K

113.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 $1,622

$780 ₡351.6K

108.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 $1,915

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-50.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 $2,264

$1,407 ₡634.4K

60.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,542 $1,542

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-77.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 $2,319

$1,201 ₡541.3K

93.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,408 $4,408

$876 ₡395.0K

403.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.62

-22.74%

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

Last update for Poughkeepsie, NY: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Poughkeepsie, NY

$1.6K 54.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 51.9% $843

Groceries & Markets

Poughkeepsie, NY

$426 14.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 17.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poughkeepsie, NY

$350 11.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 48.6% $170

Eating Out

Poughkeepsie, NY

$340 11.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 38.4% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Poughkeepsie, NY

$143 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Poughkeepsie, NY

$50 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 73.2% $37

Getting Around

Poughkeepsie, NY

$23 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 270% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,675 in Poughkeepsie, NY 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 403% higher in Poughkeepsie, NY, 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 $99.0 in Poughkeepsie, NY versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Poughkeepsie, NY

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

19:10 7:10 PM

2 h behind Poughkeepsie, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,577

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

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Highest

Between locations

Poughkeepsie, NY Nosara 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Poughkeepsie, NY
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

Poughkeepsie, NY vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,976 in Poughkeepsie, NY, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,464 per month in Poughkeepsie, NY 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Poughkeepsie, NY and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Poughkeepsie, NY, 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 $1,837, than in Poughkeepsie, NY at $2,976. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Poughkeepsie, NY 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 $2,976 in Poughkeepsie, NY. 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, Poughkeepsie, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.