Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarasota, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,946 in Sarasota, FL, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Sarasota, FL
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Sarasota, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sarasota, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,946

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,946 per month in Sarasota, FL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Sarasota, FL $2,946
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,542 per month in Sarasota, FL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Sarasota, FL $4,542
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,137 per month in Sarasota, FL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Sarasota, FL $6,137
Nosara $3,712

Sarasota, FL costs about 60% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sarasota, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Sarasota, FL by 120%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.88 $27.88

$12.22 ₡5,509

128.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

32.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 $10.90

$7.54 ₡3,399

44.56%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$4.31 ₡1,941

6.50%

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

$3.17 $3.17

$1.72 ₡773

84.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.35 ₡608

49.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.24 ₡1,459

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.48 ₡2,018

56.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.57 ₡707

-33.12%

White Bread (500g)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.17 ₡1,429

28.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.42 ₡1,091

104.55%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.57 ₡1,609

16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 $9.51

$7.43 ₡3,349

27.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.24 $14.24

$10.42 ₡4,697

36.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.46 $19.46

$13.66 ₡6,156

42.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.32 ₡1,044

117.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.61 ₡728

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$4.74 ₡2,138

-44.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$1.66 ₡747

277.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.72 ₡1,679

-1.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.57 ₡1,611

-17.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.10 ₡497

107.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.55 ₡1,149

-12.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.95 ₡2,232

84.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 $11.82

$20.01 ₡9,020

-40.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.79 ₡1,256

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.53 ₡1,589

20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.19 ₡537

64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.57 ₡708

-34.39%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

71.74%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-25.12%

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

$131 $131

$93.5 ₡42.1K

40.03%

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

$45.42 $45.42

$35.11 ₡15.8K

29.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.2 $80.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

55.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.69 $47.69

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-33.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.98 $13.98

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-60.55%

Cinema Ticket

$19.83 $19.83

$7.84 ₡3,535

152.93%

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

$853 $853

$490 ₡220.7K

74.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K $17.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

43.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$53.5 ₡24.1K

20.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.56 $49.56

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-11.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$79.3 ₡35.7K

45.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$78.9 ₡35.6K

99.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$786 ₡354.3K

172.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 $1,603

$780 ₡351.6K

105.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,749 $3,749

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,225 $3,225

$1,407 ₡634.4K

129.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,602 $4,602

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-33.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,791 $2,791

$1,201 ₡541.3K

132.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,371 $4,371

$876 ₡395.0K

398.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

8.62

-26.33%

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

Last update for Sarasota, FL: 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

Sarasota, FL

$1.6K 54.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 51.3% $823

Groceries & Markets

Sarasota, FL

$417 14.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 16.3% $68

Eating Out

Sarasota, FL

$373 12.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 43.8% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarasota, FL

$257 8.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 29.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sarasota, FL

$174 6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Sarasota, FL

$87 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Sarasota, FL

$7.9 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1006% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,146 in Sarasota, FL 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 399% higher in Sarasota, FL, 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 $79.0 in Sarasota, FL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sarasota, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

2 h behind Sarasota, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,942

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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Sarasota, FL Nosara 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarasota, FL
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

Sarasota, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,946 in Sarasota, FL, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,419 per month in Sarasota, FL 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 $79.0 in Sarasota, FL 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 19% more in Sarasota, FL, 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 Sarasota, FL at $2,946. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarasota, FL 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 $2,946 in Sarasota, FL. 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, Sarasota, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.