Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reston, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,292 in Reston, VA, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

159

Cost of Living Index in Reston, VA
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Reston, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Reston, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,292

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,292 per month in Reston, VA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Reston, VA $3,292
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $5,194 per month in Reston, VA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Reston, VA $5,194
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $7,096 per month in Reston, VA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Reston, VA $7,096
Nosara $3,818

Reston, VA costs about 79% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Reston, VA and Nosara sit above the global median – Reston, VA by 144%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.47 $28.47

$12.35 ₡5,539

130.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$61.2 ₡27.4K

94.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

31.12%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$4.41 ₡1,978

38.78%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.74 ₡780

70.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.31 ₡587

99.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.28 ₡1,471

114.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 $7.43

$4.47 ₡2,004

66.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.02 ₡1,355

44.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.51 ₡1,125

80.88%

Eggs

$5.31 $5.31

$3.57 ₡1,603

48.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$7.43 ₡3,333

127.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$10.52 ₡4,717

60.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.06 $23.06

$13.97 ₡6,265

65.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.35 ₡1,052

192.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.61 ₡720

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$4.80 ₡2,152

-14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.61 ₡724

263.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.80 ₡1,703

-23.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.69 ₡1,657

0.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.13 ₡507

163.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.66 ₡1,191

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 $14.04

$5.18 ₡2,321

171.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.79 $17.79

$19.88 ₡8,916

-10.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.63 ₡1,626

28.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.12 ₡504

263.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 $129

$72.6 ₡32.6K

78.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.14 ₡958

82.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.57 ₡703

3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.89 $24.89

$8.52 ₡3,823

192.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.52 ₡682

-34.21%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

39.97%

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

$24.0K $24.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.54%

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

$215 $215

$96.3 ₡43.2K

122.83%

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

$63.1 $63.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

75.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.3 $78.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

46.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 $100

$71.6 ₡32.1K

39.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 $29.79

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-14.67%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 $16.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

103.30%

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

$3,165 $3,165

$494 ₡221.6K

540.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.8K $40.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

243.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 $76.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

40.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 $43.32

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-21.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$77.9 ₡34.9K

32.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$79.6 ₡35.7K

55.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,377 $2,377

$788 ₡353.4K

201.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$794 ₡356.2K

99.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,616 $3,616

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,125 $3,125

$1,419 ₡636.5K

120.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,387 $6,387

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-7.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,379 $4,379

$1,224 ₡549.0K

257.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,376 $6,376

$864 ₡387.3K

638.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Reston, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reston, VA

$1.6K 48.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 49.9% $790

Groceries & Markets

Reston, VA

$503 15.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30% $151

Eating Out

Reston, VA

$403 12.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 47.5% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reston, VA

$356 10.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.8% $170

Getting Around

Reston, VA

$158 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 44.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Reston, VA

$156 4.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Reston, VA

$132 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,377 in Reston, VA 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 638% higher in Reston, VA, 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 $119 in Reston, VA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $503 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Reston, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

2 h behind Reston, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,404

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

Reston, VA Nosara 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Reston, VA
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

Reston, VA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,292 in Reston, VA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,938 per month in Reston, VA 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 78% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,165 per month in Reston, VA 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 Reston, VA at $3,292. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reston, VA 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 $3,292 in Reston, VA. 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, Reston, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.