Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockford, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,166 in Rockford, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Rockford, IL
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Rockford, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,166 per month in Rockford, IL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockford, IL $2,166
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,480 per month in Rockford, IL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockford, IL $3,480
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,794 per month in Rockford, IL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Rockford, IL $4,794
Nosara $3,814

Rockford, IL costs about 18% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rockford, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Rockford, IL by 60%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$12.34 ₡5,535

27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

20.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$7.76 ₡3,481

28.48%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.29%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.79 ₡803

57.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.29 ₡580

54.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.24 ₡1,451

41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.43 ₡1,985

54.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.55 ₡696

-47.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.08 ₡1,380

10.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.53 ₡1,133

109.49%

Eggs

$2.91 $2.91

$3.45 ₡1,546

-15.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.32 ₡3,284

37.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$10.24 ₡4,594

36.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$14.10 ₡6,326

19.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.29 ₡1,027

108.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.64 ₡737

-6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$4.79 ₡2,149

-20.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.64 ₡735

214.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.85 ₡1,727

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.75 ₡1,681

-30.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.09 ₡488

104.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.59 ₡1,160

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 $10.97

$5.12 ₡2,295

114.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$19.92 ₡8,931

-20.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.80 ₡1,255

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$3.52 ₡1,580

-47.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.22 ₡549

24.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 $55.5

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-24.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.17 ₡973

26.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.56 ₡698

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.70 $20.70

$8.67 ₡3,886

138.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡697

-32.90%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.03%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.49%

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

$192 $192

$94.8 ₡42.5K

102.75%

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

$45.71 $45.71

$36.15 ₡16.2K

26.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$53.1 ₡23.8K

33.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 $41.82

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.44 $25.44

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-28.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$7.91 ₡3,548

77.37%

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

$520 $520

$490 ₡219.9K

6.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,074 $4,074

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-65.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-17.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 $35.80

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-35.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$80.4 ₡36.0K

15.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$77.9 ₡34.9K

44.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$801 ₡359.1K

61.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$790 ₡354.1K

17.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 $2,298

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-42.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$1,409 ₡632.0K

44.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-79.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$1,236 ₡554.3K

14.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 $3,398

$887 ₡397.6K

283.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

8.62

-24.71%

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

Last update for Rockford, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockford, IL

$925 42.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 14.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Rockford, IL

$389 17.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 10% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockford, IL

$309 14.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 40.4% $125

Eating Out

Rockford, IL

$272 12.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 21.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Rockford, IL

$129 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 6.3% $8.1

Getting Around

Rockford, IL

$72 3.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 22.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,293 in Rockford, 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.

Salaries run about 283% higher in Rockford, IL, 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 $74.0 in Rockford, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

16:13 4:13 PM

1 h behind Rockford, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,655

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 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 →

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Between locations

Rockford, IL Nosara 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockford, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,166 in Rockford, IL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,249 per month in Rockford, 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.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $520 per month in Rockford, IL and $490 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 $1,835, than in Rockford, IL at $2,166. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rockford, 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 $2,166 in Rockford, 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, Rockford, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.