Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between SeaTac, WA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,199 in SeaTac, WA, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in SeaTac, WA
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SeaTac, WA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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SeaTac, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,199

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,199 per month in SeaTac, WA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

SeaTac, WA $3,199
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,502 per month in SeaTac, WA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

SeaTac, WA $4,502
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,806 per month in SeaTac, WA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

SeaTac, WA $5,806
Nosara $3,818

SeaTac, WA costs about 74% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both SeaTac, WA and Nosara sit above the global median – SeaTac, WA by 137%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.20 $25.20

$12.35 ₡5,539

104.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.3 $81.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

32.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.93 $11.93

$7.52 ₡3,373

58.64%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$4.41 ₡1,978

26.98%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$1.74 ₡780

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.31 ₡587

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

32.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.56 ₡701

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.02 ₡1,355

34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.51 ₡1,125

33.07%

Eggs

$7.05 $7.05

$3.57 ₡1,603

97.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 $14.77

$7.43 ₡3,333

98.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

35.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 $17.37

$13.97 ₡6,265

24.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.35 ₡1,052

128.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.61 ₡720

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$4.80 ₡2,152

-10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.61 ₡724

186.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.80 ₡1,703

-41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.69 ₡1,657

-17.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.13 ₡507

61.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.66 ₡1,191

19.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.28 $12.28

$5.18 ₡2,321

137.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 $18.19

$19.88 ₡8,916

-8.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.63 ₡1,626

-45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.12 ₡504

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 $89.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

23.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.14 ₡958

18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.57 ₡703

8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.11 $30.11

$8.52 ₡3,823

253.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.52 ₡682

-5.26%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.62%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.87%

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

$227 $227

$96.3 ₡43.2K

135.56%

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

$61.7 $61.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

72.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 $82.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

53.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.17 $35.17

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-50.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.01 $20.01

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-42.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.63 $17.63

$7.89 ₡3,539

123.45%

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

$2,120 $2,120

$494 ₡221.6K

328.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.3K $32.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

172.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.02 $49.02

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-9.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.17 $22.17

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-59.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.4 $63.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-18.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.85 $46.85

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-41.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,292 $2,292

$788 ₡353.4K

190.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 $1,762

$794 ₡356.2K

121.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,882 $3,882

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-1.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,636 $2,636

$1,419 ₡636.5K

85.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 $4,016

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-41.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 $3,930

$1,224 ₡549.0K

221.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,146 $6,146

$864 ₡387.3K

611.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for SeaTac, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

SeaTac, WA

$1.8K 55.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 54.9% $968

Groceries & Markets

SeaTac, WA

$445 13.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

SeaTac, WA

$371 11.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 49.9% $185

Eating Out

SeaTac, WA

$357 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.7% $146

Getting Around

SeaTac, WA

$111 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 21.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

SeaTac, WA

$82 2.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 47.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

SeaTac, WA

$70 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,292 in SeaTac, WA 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 612% higher in SeaTac, WA, 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 $81.0 in SeaTac, WA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $445 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 SeaTac, WA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

1 h ahead of SeaTac, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,454

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

SeaTac, WA Nosara 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

SeaTac, WA
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

SeaTac, WA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,199 in SeaTac, WA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,798 per month in SeaTac, WA 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 23% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,120 per month in SeaTac, WA 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 SeaTac, WA at $3,199. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in SeaTac, WA 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 $3,199 in SeaTac, WA. 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, SeaTac, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.