Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Provo, UT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,286 in Provo, UT, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Provo, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,286

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,286 per month in Provo, UT vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Provo, UT $2,286
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,373 per month in Provo, UT vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Provo, UT $3,373
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,460 per month in Provo, UT vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Provo, UT $4,460
Nosara $3,790

Provo, UT costs about 24% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Provo, UT and Nosara sit above the global median – Provo, UT by 69%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 $19.17

$12.38 ₡5,577

54.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 $80.6

$60.6 ₡27.3K

32.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 $9.93

$7.81 ₡3,518

27.14%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.37 ₡1,969

25.40%

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

$2.04 $2.04

$1.78 ₡802

14.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.35 ₡606

38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.39 ₡1,528

51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.31 ₡1,942

89.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 ₡700

-38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.17 ₡1,428

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.51 ₡1,132

28.69%

Eggs

$4.01 $4.01

$3.53 ₡1,587

13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$7.37 ₡3,318

7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$10.46 ₡4,710

-43.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$13.91 ₡6,264

-19.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.26 ₡1,020

90.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.56 ₡703

-7.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$4.70 ₡2,116

-42.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.62 ₡730

78.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$3.88 ₡1,749

-16.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.79 ₡1,706

-48.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.07 ₡482

64.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.61 ₡1,176

4.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 $10.67

$5.16 ₡2,323

106.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.25 $16.25

$20.33 ₡9,157

-20.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.91 ₡1,312

-3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.67 ₡1,653

-20.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.31 ₡589

127.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.3 $84.3

$73.2 ₡33.0K

15.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.19 ₡985

57.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡831

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.81 ₡3,519

66.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ₡703

-36.54%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-0.84%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-31.00%

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

$130 $130

$95.9 ₡43.2K

35.19%

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

$44.75 $44.75

$35.37 ₡15.9K

26.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$53.7 ₡24.2K

15.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.37 $22.37

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-66.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 $19.75

$35.43 ₡16.0K

-44.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 $10.86

$7.72 ₡3,478

40.67%

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

$940 $940

$496 ₡223.2K

89.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.63 $46.63

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-14.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 $55.6

$55.0 ₡24.8K

1.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.7 $63.7

$79.8 ₡36.0K

-20.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 $79.6

$77.9 ₡35.1K

2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$817 ₡368.0K

68.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 $1,168

$800 ₡360.3K

46.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-51.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,882 $1,882

$1,396 ₡628.5K

34.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 $2,391

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-65.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,360 $2,360

$1,222 ₡550.4K

93.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,552 $3,552

$879 ₡395.9K

304.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

8.62

-16.59%

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

Last update for Provo, UT: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Provo, UT

$1.2K 51.1%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 31.5% $368

Groceries & Markets

Provo, UT

$320 14%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 10% $32

Eating Out

Provo, UT

$306 13.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Provo, UT

$236 10.3%

Nosara

$185 10% 21.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Provo, UT

$111 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.9% $9.8

Getting Around

Provo, UT

$100 * 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 9.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Provo, UT

$44 1.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 88.1% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,380 in Provo, 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 Provo, UT are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Provo, UT versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Provo, UT vs $353 in Nosara – so Provo, UT wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Provo, UT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h ahead of Provo, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,162

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 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

Provo, UT Nosara 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Provo, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,286 in Provo, UT, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,429 per month in Provo, 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 $1,380 in Provo, UT.

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

Kindergarten costs $940 per month in Provo, UT 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 $2,286 in Provo, 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, Provo, UT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.