Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puyallup, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,631 in Puyallup, WA, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Puyallup, WA
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Puyallup, WA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Puyallup, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,631

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,631 per month in Puyallup, WA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Puyallup, WA $3,631
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,078 per month in Puyallup, WA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Puyallup, WA $5,078
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,524 per month in Puyallup, WA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Puyallup, WA $6,524
Nosara $3,818

Puyallup, WA costs about 97% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puyallup, WA and Nosara sit above the global median – Puyallup, WA by 169%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.96 $24.96

$12.35 ₡5,539

102.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

28.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.78 $14.78

$7.52 ₡3,373

96.54%

Cappuccino

$6.57 $6.57

$4.41 ₡1,978

48.98%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$1.74 ₡780

78.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.31 ₡587

136.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.28 ₡1,471

148.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$4.47 ₡2,004

83.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.56 ₡701

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.02 ₡1,355

48.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.51 ₡1,125

141.04%

Eggs

$5.52 $5.52

$3.57 ₡1,603

54.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.30 $18.30

$7.43 ₡3,333

146.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.94 $16.94

$10.52 ₡4,717

61.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.17 $23.17

$13.97 ₡6,265

65.86%

Apples (1kg)

$6.01 $6.01

$2.35 ₡1,052

155.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.61 ₡720

14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$4.80 ₡2,152

7.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$1.61 ₡724

289.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.80 ₡1,703

-9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.69 ₡1,657

-13.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.13 ₡507

138.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.66 ₡1,191

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.97 $11.97

$5.18 ₡2,321

131.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.91 $17.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-9.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.63 ₡1,626

39.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.12 ₡504

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$170 $170

$72.6 ₡32.6K

134.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.14 ₡958

19.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.57 ₡703

9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.43 $30.43

$8.52 ₡3,823

257.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.52 ₡682

-7.89%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.85%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.44%

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

$280 $280

$96.3 ₡43.2K

191.30%

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

$90.4 $90.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

151.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 $87.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

63.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 $71.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.96 $19.96

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.82%

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 $17.09

$7.89 ₡3,539

116.60%

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

$3,056 $3,056

$494 ₡221.6K

518.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

157.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 $61.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

13.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.51 $44.51

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-19.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$77.9 ₡34.9K

62.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$79.6 ₡35.7K

107.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 $1,872

$788 ₡353.4K

137.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 $1,764

$794 ₡356.2K

122.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,726 $2,726

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-30.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,419 ₡636.5K

78.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,666 $6,666

$864 ₡387.3K

671.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

8.62

-22.51%

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

Last update for Puyallup, WA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puyallup, WA

$1.8K 48.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 55% $970

Groceries & Markets

Puyallup, WA

$517 14.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 31.8% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puyallup, WA

$459 12.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.5% $273

Eating Out

Puyallup, WA

$405 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 47.7% $193

Getting Around

Puyallup, WA

$201 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 56.8% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Puyallup, WA

$179 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Puyallup, WA

$106 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,872 in Puyallup, WA versus $788 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 672% higher in Puyallup, WA, 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 $79.0 in Puyallup, WA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $517 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Puyallup, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h ahead of Puyallup, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,973

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Puyallup, WA Nosara 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Puyallup, WA
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

Puyallup, WA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,631 in Puyallup, WA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,446 per month in Puyallup, WA and $2,758 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 135% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,056 per month in Puyallup, WA and $494 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 $1,839, than in Puyallup, WA at $3,631. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puyallup, WA 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $3,631 in Puyallup, WA. 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, Puyallup, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.