Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roanoke, AL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,541 in Roanoke, AL, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Roanoke, AL
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Roanoke, AL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Roanoke, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,541

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,541 per month in Roanoke, AL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Roanoke, AL $2,541
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,777 per month in Roanoke, AL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Roanoke, AL $3,777
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,013 per month in Roanoke, AL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Roanoke, AL $5,013
Nosara $3,814

Roanoke, AL costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Roanoke, AL and Nosara sit above the global median – Roanoke, AL by 88%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$12.34 ₡5,535

64.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

22.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 $11.69

$7.76 ₡3,481

50.64%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$4.44 ₡1,992

18.69%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.79 ₡803

46.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.29 ₡580

58.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.24 ₡1,451

83.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 $6.24

$4.43 ₡1,985

40.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.55 ₡696

-30.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.08 ₡1,380

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.53 ₡1,133

61.66%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.45 ₡1,546

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 $12.79

$7.32 ₡3,284

74.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$10.24 ₡4,594

12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.17 $17.17

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.29 ₡1,027

124.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.64 ₡737

-3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$4.79 ₡2,149

-17.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.64 ₡735

222.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$3.85 ₡1,727

-29.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.75 ₡1,681

-11.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.09 ₡488

104.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.59 ₡1,160

-6.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$5.12 ₡2,295

71.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.80 ₡1,255

-22.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.52 ₡1,580

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.22 ₡549

50.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.17 ₡973

44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.56 ₡698

2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.01 $29.01

$8.67 ₡3,886

234.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡697

-41.94%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.63%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.37%

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

$196 $196

$94.8 ₡42.5K

106.81%

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

$65.6 $65.6

$36.15 ₡16.2K

81.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

30.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 $14.16

$7.91 ₡3,548

79.01%

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

$1,392 $1,392

$490 ₡219.9K

183.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

75.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 $40.63

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$80.4 ₡36.0K

10.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$77.9 ₡34.9K

44.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 $1,508

$801 ₡359.1K

88.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 $1,263

$790 ₡354.1K

59.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,189 $2,189

$1,409 ₡632.0K

55.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,752 $2,752

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,236 ₡554.3K

94.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Roanoke, AL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roanoke, AL

$1.3K 49.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 37.5% $474

Groceries & Markets

Roanoke, AL

$403 15.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 13.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roanoke, AL

$331 13%

Nosara

$184 10% 44.4% $147

Eating Out

Roanoke, AL

$322 12.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Roanoke, AL

$133 5.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Roanoke, AL

$71 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.7% $19

Getting Around

Roanoke, AL

$19 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 379% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,508 in Roanoke, AL versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Roanoke, AL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roanoke, AL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h behind Roanoke, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,837

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roanoke, AL Nosara 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Roanoke, AL
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

Roanoke, AL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,541 in Roanoke, AL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,811 per month in Roanoke, AL and $2,753 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 $75.0 in Roanoke, AL and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Roanoke, AL, 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 $1,835, than in Roanoke, AL at $2,541. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roanoke, AL 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,541 in Roanoke, AL. 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, Roanoke, AL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.