Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Russellville, AR and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,538 in Russellville, AR, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Russellville, AR
Learn more

Russellville, AR Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Russellville, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,538

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,538 per month in Russellville, AR vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Russellville, AR $2,538
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,573 per month in Russellville, AR vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Russellville, AR $3,573
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,607 per month in Russellville, AR vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Russellville, AR $4,607
Nosara $3,814

Russellville, AR costs about 38% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Russellville, AR and Nosara sit above the global median – Russellville, AR by 87%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.27 $16.27

$12.34 ₡5,535

31.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.68 $37.68

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-38.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$7.76 ₡3,481

28.09%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.96%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.79 ₡803

27.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.29 ₡580

34.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.24 ₡1,451

57.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.43 ₡1,985

57.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡696

-29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.08 ₡1,380

-32.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.53 ₡1,133

124.11%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$3.45 ₡1,546

21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$7.32 ₡3,284

108.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.24 ₡4,594

20.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 $14.90

$14.10 ₡6,326

5.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.29 ₡1,027

88.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.64 ₡737

-15.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$4.79 ₡2,149

-23.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.64 ₡735

110.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.85 ₡1,727

-31.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.75 ₡1,681

-24.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.09 ₡488

39.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.59 ₡1,160

-12.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.90 $8.90

$5.12 ₡2,295

73.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 $13.77

$19.92 ₡8,931

-30.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.80 ₡1,255

-27.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.52 ₡1,580

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.22 ₡549

44.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.17 ₡973

-6.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.56 ₡698

-18.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 $30.18

$8.67 ₡3,886

248.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.55 ₡697

-37.42%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.77%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-34.72%

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

$244 $244

$94.8 ₡42.5K

157.66%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$36.15 ₡16.2K

52.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 $63.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.40 $40.40

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-45.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 $10.19

$7.91 ₡3,548

28.82%

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

$1,172 $1,172

$490 ₡219.9K

139.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

112.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.70 $41.70

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-23.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.40 $29.40

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-47.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$80.4 ₡36.0K

40.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$77.9 ₡34.9K

28.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 $739

$801 ₡359.1K

-7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$790 ₡354.1K

66.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 $1,067

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-73.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 $2,139

$1,409 ₡632.0K

51.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,511 $1,511

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-78.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 $1,551

$1,236 ₡554.3K

25.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,703 $2,703

$887 ₡397.6K

204.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-30.39%

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

Last update for Russellville, AR: 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

Russellville, AR

$1.3K 51.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 40% $526

Groceries & Markets

Russellville, AR

$379 14.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 7.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Russellville, AR

$363 14.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 49.3% $179

Eating Out

Russellville, AR

$276 10.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 23% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Russellville, AR

$128 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 5.5% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Russellville, AR

$61 2.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 47.4% $29

Getting Around

Russellville, AR

$15 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 475% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Russellville, AR 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 205% higher in Russellville, AR, 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 $38.00 in Russellville, AR versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Russellville, AR vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Russellville, AR

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h behind Russellville, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,014

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

Russellville, AR Nosara 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Russellville, AR
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

Russellville, AR vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,538 in Russellville, AR, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,807 per month in Russellville, AR 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 $38.00 in Russellville, AR 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 8% more in Russellville, AR, 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 Russellville, AR at $2,538. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Russellville, AR 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 $2,538 in Russellville, AR. 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, Russellville, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.