Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,109 in Scranton, PA, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scranton, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
Learn more

Scranton, PA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,109

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,109 per month in Scranton, PA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Scranton, PA $2,109
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,000 per month in Scranton, PA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Scranton, PA $3,000
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,891 per month in Scranton, PA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Scranton, PA $3,891
Nosara $3,818

Scranton, PA costs about 15% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Scranton, PA and Nosara sit above the global median – Scranton, PA by 56%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 $12.08

$12.35 ₡5,539

-2.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

25.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 $5.96

$7.52 ₡3,373

-20.74%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$4.41 ₡1,978

1.59%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$1.74 ₡780

-12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 ₡587

-24.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

111.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 $7.66

$4.47 ₡2,004

71.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.56 ₡701

-53.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-11.55%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$3.57 ₡1,603

-6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.43 ₡3,333

49.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 $8.81

$10.52 ₡4,717

-16.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$13.97 ₡6,265

-19.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.35 ₡1,052

53.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.61 ₡720

-18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$4.80 ₡2,152

-30.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.61 ₡724

164.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.80 ₡1,703

-23.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.69 ₡1,657

-10.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.13 ₡507

71.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 $6.59

$5.18 ₡2,321

27.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 $12.19

$19.88 ₡8,916

-38.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.90 ₡1,300

4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.63 ₡1,626

31.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.12 ₡504

54.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-15.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.14 ₡958

47.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.57 ₡703

27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$8.52 ₡3,823

193.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.52 ₡682

-26.97%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

63.55%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.55%

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

$232 $232

$96.3 ₡43.2K

140.79%

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

$40.27 $40.27

$35.89 ₡16.1K

12.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.27 $49.27

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-8.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 $29.52

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 $16.03

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 $12.53

$7.89 ₡3,539

58.81%

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

$770 $770

$494 ₡221.6K

55.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K $17.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-16.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.25 $30.25

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-45.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 $82.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$788 ₡353.4K

61.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 $1,019

$794 ₡356.2K

28.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-60.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 $1,481

$1,419 ₡636.5K

4.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,594 $1,594

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-76.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 $1,538

$1,224 ₡549.0K

25.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,361 $3,361

$864 ₡387.3K

289.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scranton, PA

$1K 48.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 22.1% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$321 15.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 42.2% $136

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$300 14.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 17.5% $52

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$228 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 7.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$104 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 15.4% $16

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$81 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 7.4% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$55 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 60.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,269 in Scranton, PA 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 289% higher in Scranton, PA, 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 $77.0 in Scranton, PA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Scranton, PA vs $352 in Nosara – so Scranton, PA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

2 h behind Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Scranton, PA Nosara 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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

Scranton, PA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,109 in Scranton, PA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,163 per month in Scranton, PA 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 $770 per month in Scranton, PA 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 Scranton, PA at $2,109. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scranton, PA 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 $2,109 in Scranton, PA. 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, Scranton, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.