Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, OH and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,336 in Salem, OH, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Salem, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,336

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,336 per month in Salem, OH vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Salem, OH $2,336
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,389 per month in Salem, OH vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Salem, OH $3,389
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,443 per month in Salem, OH vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Salem, OH $4,443
Nosara $3,712

Salem, OH costs about 27% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Salem, OH and Nosara sit above the global median – Salem, OH by 74%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.15 $14.15

$12.22 ₡5,509

15.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.25 $49.25

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-18.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$7.54 ₡3,399

30.37%

Cappuccino

$3.07 $3.07

$4.31 ₡1,941

-28.77%

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

$2.23 $2.23

$1.72 ₡773

29.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.35 ₡608

17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.24 ₡1,459

20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$4.48 ₡2,018

-11.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.57 ₡707

-40.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.17 ₡1,429

6.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.42 ₡1,091

64.88%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$3.57 ₡1,609

-8.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$7.43 ₡3,349

50.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 $9.75

$10.42 ₡4,697

-6.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.24 $16.24

$13.66 ₡6,156

18.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.32 ₡1,044

41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.61 ₡728

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$4.74 ₡2,138

-8.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.66 ₡747

128.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.72 ₡1,679

-28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.57 ₡1,611

-44.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.10 ₡497

130.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.55 ₡1,149

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 $10.04

$4.95 ₡2,232

102.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$20.01 ₡9,020

-33.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.79 ₡1,256

-28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.53 ₡1,589

-9.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.19 ₡537

67.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.24 ₡1,011

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.55 ₡701

63.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 $39.54

$8.86 ₡3,993

346.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.57 ₡708

-33.12%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

64.60%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.88%

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

$176 $176

$93.5 ₡42.1K

88.39%

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

$61.9 $61.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

76.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

27.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.94 $45.94

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-35.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$7.84 ₡3,535

55.48%

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

$509 $509

$490 ₡220.7K

3.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K $14.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

18.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.71 $45.71

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-14.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 $39.84

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-28.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 $71.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 $77.6

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-1.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$786 ₡354.3K

105.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$780 ₡351.6K

64.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,458 $2,458

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-36.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 $2,131

$1,407 ₡634.4K

51.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,146 $3,146

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-54.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 $2,176

$1,201 ₡541.3K

81.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Salem, OH: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salem, OH

$1.3K 54.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 39.2% $502

Groceries & Markets

Salem, OH

$356 15.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1.9% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, OH

$304 12.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 40.7% $124

Eating Out

Salem, OH

$222 9.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, OH

$106 4.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 14% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, OH

$70 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Salem, OH

$23 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 275% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Salem, OH 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Salem, OH versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Salem, OH vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, OH

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

2 h behind Salem, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salem, OH Nosara 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,336 in Salem, OH, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,505 per month in Salem, OH 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Salem, OH and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Salem, OH, 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 $1,837, than in Salem, OH at $2,336. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salem, OH 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 $2,336 in Salem, OH. 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, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.