Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roy, UT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,306 in Roy, UT, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Roy, UT
Learn more

Roy, UT Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Roy, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,306

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,306 per month in Roy, UT vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Roy, UT $2,306
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,333 per month in Roy, UT vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Roy, UT $3,333
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,360 per month in Roy, UT vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Roy, UT $4,360
Nosara $3,790

Roy, UT costs about 25% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Roy, UT and Nosara sit above the global median – Roy, UT by 71%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 $17.64

$12.38 ₡5,577

42.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$60.6 ₡27.3K

23.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$7.81 ₡3,518

29.32%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$4.37 ₡1,969

18.31%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.78 ₡802

28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.35 ₡606

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.39 ₡1,528

77.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.31 ₡1,942

89.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.55 ₡700

-61.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.17 ₡1,428

-13.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.51 ₡1,132

58.57%

Eggs

$3.43 $3.43

$3.53 ₡1,587

-2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$7.37 ₡3,318

63.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$10.46 ₡4,710

14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$13.91 ₡6,264

-21.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.26 ₡1,020

79.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.56 ₡703

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$4.70 ₡2,116

-23.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.62 ₡730

137.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$3.88 ₡1,749

-41.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.79 ₡1,706

-32.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.07 ₡482

74.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.61 ₡1,176

-26.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 $10.45

$5.16 ₡2,323

102.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 $15.03

$20.33 ₡9,157

-26.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.91 ₡1,312

-8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.67 ₡1,653

-10.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.31 ₡589

51.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$73.2 ₡33.0K

-17.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.19 ₡985

16.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.84 ₡831

26.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.99 $12.99

$7.81 ₡3,519

66.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ₡703

-36.54%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

5.61%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-32.55%

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

$194 $194

$95.9 ₡43.2K

102.13%

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

$53.1 $53.1

$35.37 ₡15.9K

50.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$53.7 ₡24.2K

56.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.26 $39.26

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-41.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.70 $14.70

$35.43 ₡16.0K

-58.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.93 $10.93

$7.72 ₡3,478

41.58%

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

$1,338 $1,338

$496 ₡223.2K

170.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

120.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.70 $39.70

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-27.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.96 $24.96

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-54.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 $90.5

$79.8 ₡36.0K

13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$77.9 ₡35.1K

41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$817 ₡368.0K

59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 $1,069

$800 ₡360.3K

33.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 $1,732

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-55.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$1,396 ₡628.5K

18.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,456 $2,456

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-64.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,323 $2,323

$1,222 ₡550.4K

90.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

8.62

-25.06%

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

Last update for Roy, UT: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roy, UT

$1.1K 46.4%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 25.2% $269

Groceries & Markets

Roy, UT

$346 15%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 1.8% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roy, UT

$331 14.3%

Nosara

$185 10% 44.1% $146

Eating Out

Roy, UT

$296 12.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 28% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Roy, UT

$119 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.8% $1

Getting Around

Roy, UT

$83 3.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 8.4% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Roy, UT

$61 2.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 35.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Roy, UT versus $817 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 in Roy, UT versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Roy, UT vs $353 in Nosara – so Roy, UT wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roy, UT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h ahead of Roy, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,306

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roy, UT Nosara 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Roy, UT
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

Roy, UT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,306 in Roy, UT, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,458 per month in Roy, UT and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,302 in Roy, UT.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Roy, UT and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Roy, UT. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,306 in Roy, UT and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.