Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Renton, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,050 in Renton, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Renton, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,050

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Renton, WA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Renton, WA $3,050
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,076 per month in Renton, WA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Renton, WA $4,076
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,101 per month in Renton, WA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Renton, WA $5,101
Nosara $3,818

Renton, WA costs about 66% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Renton, WA and Nosara sit above the global median – Renton, WA by 126%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$12.35 ₡5,539

60.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 $93.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

52.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$7.52 ₡3,373

62.50%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$4.41 ₡1,978

7.03%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.74 ₡780

40.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.31 ₡587

63.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.28 ₡1,471

54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$4.47 ₡2,004

55.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.56 ₡701

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.02 ₡1,355

36.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.51 ₡1,125

42.63%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$3.57 ₡1,603

39.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$7.43 ₡3,333

75.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$10.52 ₡4,717

-35.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$13.97 ₡6,265

15.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.35 ₡1,052

44.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.61 ₡720

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$4.80 ₡2,152

-54.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.61 ₡724

113.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.80 ₡1,703

-38.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$3.69 ₡1,657

-38.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.13 ₡507

56.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.66 ₡1,191

-18.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 $13.33

$5.18 ₡2,321

157.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$19.88 ₡8,916

-50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.12 ₡504

213.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 $75.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

4.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.14 ₡958

65.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.57 ₡703

-57.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.83 $14.83

$8.52 ₡3,823

74.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.52 ₡682

-17.76%

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

$18.7K $18.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-13.46%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-34.02%

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

$198 $198

$96.3 ₡43.2K

105.46%

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

$59.7 $59.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

66.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

16.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 $38.64

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-46.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.38 $39.38

$34.91 ₡15.7K

12.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$7.89 ₡3,539

90.49%

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

$1,629 $1,629

$494 ₡221.6K

229.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K $16.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

38.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.41 $30.41

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 $64.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 $78.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$788 ₡353.4K

125.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$794 ₡356.2K

128.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,952 $2,952

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-25.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 $2,242

$1,419 ₡636.5K

57.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,800 $4,800

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,808 $3,808

$1,224 ₡549.0K

211.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,965 $4,965

$864 ₡387.3K

474.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Renton, 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

Renton, WA

$1.8K 59.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 56.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Renton, WA

$340 11.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Renton, WA

$320 10.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.9% $134

Eating Out

Renton, WA

$309 10.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 31.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Renton, WA

$102 3.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.9% $18

Getting Around

Renton, WA

$97 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 10% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Renton, WA

$69 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,776 in Renton, 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 475% higher in Renton, 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 $93.0 in Renton, WA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Renton, WA vs $352 in Nosara – so Renton, WA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Renton, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

1 h ahead of Renton, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,785

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

Renton, WA Nosara 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Renton, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Renton, WA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,575 per month in Renton, 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 4% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,629 per month in Renton, 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 Renton, WA at $3,050. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Renton, 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 $3,050 in Renton, 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, Renton, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.