Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,511 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,511

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,511 per month in Salem, MA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Salem, MA $3,511
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,880 per month in Salem, MA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Salem, MA $4,880
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $6,248 per month in Salem, MA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Salem, MA $6,248
Nosara $3,814

Salem, MA costs about 91% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Salem, MA and Nosara sit above the global median – Salem, MA by 159%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.63 $24.63

$12.34 ₡5,535

99.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

60.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$7.76 ₡3,481

44.33%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.51%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.79 ₡803

37.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.29 ₡580

67.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.24 ₡1,451

150.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$4.43 ₡1,985

62.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.55 ₡696

-18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.08 ₡1,380

15.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.53 ₡1,133

75.10%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.45 ₡1,546

25.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$7.32 ₡3,284

66.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$10.24 ₡4,594

14.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 $17.43

$14.10 ₡6,326

23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.29 ₡1,027

101.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.64 ₡737

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.79 ₡2,149

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.64 ₡735

189.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.75 ₡1,681

-22.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.09 ₡488

133.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.59 ₡1,160

-13.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 $11.02

$5.12 ₡2,295

115.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.52 ₡1,580

-2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.22 ₡549

54.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.09 $40.09

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-45.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.17 ₡973

38.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.56 ₡698

-1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.85 $31.85

$8.67 ₡3,886

267.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡697

-42.58%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.08%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.70%

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

$179 $179

$94.8 ₡42.5K

88.59%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

64.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

20.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.17 $42.17

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.49 $14.49

$7.91 ₡3,548

83.19%

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

$1,266 $1,266

$490 ₡219.9K

158.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

99.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 $84.2

$54.8 ₡24.6K

53.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 $56.8

$55.9 ₡25.1K

1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$80.4 ₡36.0K

21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 $98.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 $2,339

$801 ₡359.1K

192.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$790 ₡354.1K

173.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,928 $3,928

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,135 $3,135

$1,409 ₡632.0K

122.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,236 ₡554.3K

88.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,532 $9,532

$887 ₡397.6K

975.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Salem, MA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salem, MA

$2.2K 61.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 63.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$401 11.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.8% $51

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$365 10.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 41.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$302 8.6%

Nosara

$184 10% 39.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$152 4.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 20.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$71 2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 25.9% $18

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$58 1.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 52% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,339 in Salem, MA 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 975% higher in Salem, MA, 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 $98.0 in Salem, MA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

2 h behind Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

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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Between locations

Salem, MA Nosara 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,511 in Salem, MA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,267 per month in Salem, MA 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.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,266 per month in Salem, MA 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 $1,835, than in Salem, MA at $3,511. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salem, MA 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 $3,511 in Salem, MA. 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, Salem, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.