Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, MO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,184 in Saint Charles, MO, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, MO
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Saint Charles, MO Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint Charles, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,184

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,184 per month in Saint Charles, MO vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Charles, MO $2,184
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Saint Charles, MO vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Charles, MO $3,474
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,763 per month in Saint Charles, MO vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Charles, MO $4,763
Nosara $3,814

Saint Charles, MO costs about 19% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Saint Charles, MO and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint Charles, MO by 61%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.80 $14.80

$12.34 ₡5,535

19.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-2.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$7.76 ₡3,481

52.45%

Cappuccino

$4.84 $4.84

$4.44 ₡1,992

9.01%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.79 ₡803

45.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.29 ₡580

43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.24 ₡1,451

56.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 $6.15

$4.43 ₡1,985

38.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.55 ₡696

-51.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 $2.60

$3.08 ₡1,380

-15.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.53 ₡1,133

147.83%

Eggs

$3.12 $3.12

$3.45 ₡1,546

-9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$7.32 ₡3,284

28.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$10.24 ₡4,594

-36.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.11 $24.11

$14.10 ₡6,326

70.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.29 ₡1,027

62.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.64 ₡737

31.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.18 $10.18

$4.79 ₡2,149

112.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$1.64 ₡735

212.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.85 ₡1,727

-5.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.75 ₡1,681

-1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.09 ₡488

93.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.59 ₡1,160

-16.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.14 $11.14

$5.12 ₡2,295

117.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$19.92 ₡8,931

-39.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.80 ₡1,255

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.52 ₡1,580

-26.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.22 ₡549

301.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.17 ₡973

40.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.56 ₡698

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.89 $49.89

$8.67 ₡3,886

475.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.55 ₡697

-41.29%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.31%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.27%

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

$334 $334

$94.8 ₡42.5K

252.73%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

68.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.5 $75.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

42.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.26 $49.26

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-33.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 $11.93

$7.91 ₡3,548

50.82%

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

$980 $980

$490 ₡219.9K

99.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 $68.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

25.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.64 $42.64

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-23.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 $78.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-2.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$77.9 ₡34.9K

105.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 $1,479

$801 ₡359.1K

84.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 $790

$790 ₡354.1K

0.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-50.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 $1,917

$1,409 ₡632.0K

36.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 $4,223

$887 ₡397.6K

376.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.58

8.62

-23.67%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, MO: 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

Saint Charles, MO

$790 36.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 0.1% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, MO

$471 21.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 60.9% $287

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, MO

$393 18%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 11.1% $43

Eating Out

Saint Charles, MO

$267 12.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 20.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, MO

$158 7.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 23.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, MO

$73 3.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 22.6% $16

Getting Around

Saint Charles, MO

$31 * 1.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 185% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,479 in Saint Charles, MO 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 376% higher in Saint Charles, MO, 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 $60.0 in Saint Charles, MO versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $393 in Saint Charles, MO vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, MO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

13:17 1:17 PM

1 h behind Saint Charles, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

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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Highest

Between locations

Saint Charles, MO Nosara 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Charles, MO
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

Saint Charles, MO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,184 in Saint Charles, MO, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,276 per month in Saint Charles, MO 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 $60.0 in Saint Charles, MO 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 12% more in Saint Charles, MO, 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 Saint Charles, MO at $2,184. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Charles, MO 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 $2,184 in Saint Charles, MO. 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, Saint Charles, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.