Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Cloud, MN and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint Cloud, MN and in Nosara: $1,891 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Saint Cloud, MN
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Saint Cloud, MN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,891

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,891 per month in Saint Cloud, MN vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Cloud, MN $1,891
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Saint Cloud, MN vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Cloud, MN $2,697
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,502 per month in Saint Cloud, MN vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Cloud, MN $3,502
Nosara $3,818

Saint Cloud, MN costs about 3% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Cloud, MN and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint Cloud, MN by 40%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.94 $14.94

$12.35 ₡5,539

20.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 $40.42

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-33.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 $8.45

$7.52 ₡3,373

12.37%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$4.41 ₡1,978

4.54%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.74 ₡780

65.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.31 ₡587

65.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.28 ₡1,471

82.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.47 ₡2,004

13.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.56 ₡701

-42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.51 ₡1,125

-24.30%

Eggs

$3.79 $3.79

$3.57 ₡1,603

6.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$7.43 ₡3,333

29.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$10.52 ₡4,717

-36.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$13.97 ₡6,265

35.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.61 ₡720

-32.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.80 ₡2,152

-42.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.61 ₡724

116.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.69 ₡1,657

-20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.13 ₡507

71.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.66 ₡1,191

11.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 $11.21

$5.18 ₡2,321

116.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.63 ₡1,626

-16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.12 ₡504

51.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.2 $61.2

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-15.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.14 ₡958

60.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.57 ₡703

-49.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.76 $11.76

$8.52 ₡3,823

38.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.52 ₡682

-41.45%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

38.89%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-31.36%

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

$122 $122

$96.3 ₡43.2K

26.57%

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

$45.73 $45.73

$35.89 ₡16.1K

27.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.69 $44.69

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-16.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.96 $24.96

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-65.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.73 $27.73

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-20.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.80 $11.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

49.56%

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

$1,721 $1,721

$494 ₡221.6K

248.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,918 $5,918

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-50.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 $72.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-6.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 $80.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 $913

$788 ₡353.4K

15.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 $859

$794 ₡356.2K

8.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 $1,409

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-64.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-11.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 $2,038

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,772 $1,772

$1,224 ₡549.0K

44.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,949 $3,949

$864 ₡387.3K

357.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

8.62

-23.32%

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

Last update for Saint Cloud, MN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Cloud, MN

$859 45.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 7.5% $65

Groceries & Markets

Saint Cloud, MN

$318 16.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.7% $34

Eating Out

Saint Cloud, MN

$261 13.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Cloud, MN

$212 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Cloud, MN

$117 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Saint Cloud, MN

$75 4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Cloud, MN

$49 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 80% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $913 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $788 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 357% higher in Saint Cloud, MN, 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 $40.00 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $352 – making Saint Cloud, MN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Cloud, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

1 h behind Saint Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,109

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Saint Cloud, MN Nosara 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Cloud, MN
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 Cloud, MN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,891 in Saint Cloud, MN, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,836 per month in Saint Cloud, MN and $2,758 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 19% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,721 per month in Saint Cloud, MN and $494 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 $1,839, than in Saint Cloud, MN at $1,891. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Cloud, MN 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $1,891 in Saint Cloud, MN. 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 Cloud, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.