Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Paul, MN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,438

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,438 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $2,438
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,743 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $3,743
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,048 per month in Saint Paul, MN vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Saint Paul, MN $5,048
Nosara $3,712

Saint Paul, MN costs about 33% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint Paul, MN and Nosara sit above the global median – Saint Paul, MN by 82%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.75 $15.75

$12.22 ₡5,509

28.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 $68.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

13.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$7.54 ₡3,399

34.08%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$4.31 ₡1,941

22.04%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.72 ₡773

73.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.35 ₡608

98.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.24 ₡1,459

89.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$4.48 ₡2,018

70.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.57 ₡707

-38.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.17 ₡1,429

24.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.42 ₡1,091

36.36%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$3.57 ₡1,609

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$7.43 ₡3,349

26.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$10.42 ₡4,697

-6.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$13.66 ₡6,156

-3.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.32 ₡1,044

111.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.61 ₡728

-27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$4.74 ₡2,138

25.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.66 ₡747

194.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.72 ₡1,679

4.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.57 ₡1,611

-0.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.10 ₡497

88.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.55 ₡1,149

-31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 $12.21

$4.95 ₡2,232

146.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 $14.34

$20.01 ₡9,020

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.79 ₡1,256

-39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.53 ₡1,589

-2.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.19 ₡537

84.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$72.1 ₡32.5K

69.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.24 ₡1,011

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.55 ₡701

3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.97 $30.97

$8.86 ₡3,993

249.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.57 ₡708

-37.58%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.94%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.31%

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

$226 $226

$93.5 ₡42.1K

141.51%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$35.11 ₡15.8K

46.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

27.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.79 $33.79

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-52.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.29 $8.29

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-76.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$7.84 ₡3,535

65.31%

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

$1,499 $1,499

$490 ₡220.7K

206.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K $28.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

136.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.97 $40.97

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-23.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 $40.24

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 $79.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$78.9 ₡35.6K

38.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 $1,355

$786 ₡354.3K

72.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 $1,100

$780 ₡351.6K

41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 $2,529

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-34.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,265 $2,265

$1,407 ₡634.4K

60.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,903 $2,903

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-58.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,201 ₡541.3K

82.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,120 $4,120

$876 ₡395.0K

370.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Paul, MN

$1.1K 45.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 29.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Saint Paul, MN

$363 15%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Paul, MN

$343 14.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 47.5% $163

Eating Out

Saint Paul, MN

$288 11.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 27.3% $79

Getting Around

Saint Paul, MN

$141 5.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Paul, MN

$60 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,355 in Saint Paul, MN versus $786 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 370% higher in Saint Paul, 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 $69.0 in Saint Paul, MN versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

23:39 11:39 PM

1 h behind Saint Paul, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,068

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

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Highest

Between locations

Saint Paul, MN Nosara 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,657 per month in Saint Paul, MN and $2,756 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 69% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,499 per month in Saint Paul, MN 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 $1,837, than in Saint Paul, MN at $2,438. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint Paul, 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,438 in Saint Paul, 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 Paul, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.