Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,664 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Rock Island, IL $2,664
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Rock Island, IL $3,843
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,023 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Rock Island, IL $5,023
Nosara $3,814

Rock Island, IL costs about 45% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rock Island, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Rock Island, IL by 97%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$12.34 ₡5,535

62.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

9.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$7.76 ₡3,481

65.46%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$4.44 ₡1,992

32.88%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$1.79 ₡803

75.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.29 ₡580

86.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.24 ₡1,451

118.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.43 ₡1,985

79.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.55 ₡696

-39.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.08 ₡1,380

13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.53 ₡1,133

67.19%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$3.45 ₡1,546

7.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$7.32 ₡3,284

106.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$10.24 ₡4,594

28.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$14.10 ₡6,326

42.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.29 ₡1,027

106.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.64 ₡737

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.79 ₡2,149

7.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$1.64 ₡735

192.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.75 ₡1,681

-16.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.09 ₡488

98.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.59 ₡1,160

-6.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

$5.12 ₡2,295

109.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$19.92 ₡8,931

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.80 ₡1,255

-5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.52 ₡1,580

23.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.22 ₡549

49.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.17 ₡973

82.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.56 ₡698

27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.24 $44.24

$8.67 ₡3,886

410.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡697

-35.48%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.75%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.85%

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

$267 $267

$94.8 ₡42.5K

181.51%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$36.15 ₡16.2K

44.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.6 $80.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

51.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 $45.16

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-38.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$7.91 ₡3,548

91.15%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$490 ₡219.9K

250.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

100.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

17.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$80.4 ₡36.0K

33.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$77.9 ₡34.9K

53.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$801 ₡359.1K

126.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$790 ₡354.1K

56.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 $2,614

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-34.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$1,409 ₡632.0K

43.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 $2,912

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-58.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$1,236 ₡554.3K

84.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 36.2% $449

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 18.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$400 15%

Nosara

$184 10% 54% $216

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 38.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.9% $14

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 319% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,812 in Rock Island, IL 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 $67.0 in Rock Island, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

1 h behind Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Rock Island, IL Nosara 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
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

Rock Island, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Rock Island, IL 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 $67.0 in Rock Island, IL 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 23% more in Rock Island, IL, 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 Rock Island, IL at $2,664. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rock Island, IL 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 $2,664 in Rock Island, IL. 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, Rock Island, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.