Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidney, NE and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,638 in Sidney, NE, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Sidney, NE
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Sidney, NE Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sidney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,638

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,638 per month in Sidney, NE vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Sidney, NE $2,638
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,783 per month in Sidney, NE vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Sidney, NE $3,783
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,928 per month in Sidney, NE vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Sidney, NE $4,928
Nosara $3,790

Sidney, NE costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sidney, NE and Nosara sit above the global median – Sidney, NE by 95%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.83 $19.83

$12.38 ₡5,568

60.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.66 $40.66

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-32.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.10 $15.10

$7.81 ₡3,513

93.34%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$4.37 ₡1,966

32.27%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.78 ₡800

65.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.35 ₡605

47.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.39 ₡1,526

14.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$4.31 ₡1,939

40.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡699

-38.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.17 ₡1,425

5.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.51 ₡1,130

160.96%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$3.53 ₡1,585

14.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 $11.78

$7.37 ₡3,313

59.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 $8.70

$10.46 ₡4,703

-16.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 $13.36

$13.91 ₡6,255

-3.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$2.26 ₡1,018

161.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.56 ₡701

-5.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.70 ₡2,113

29.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$1.62 ₡729

282.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.88 ₡1,746

2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.79 ₡1,704

-1.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.07 ₡481

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.61 ₡1,174

-11.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 $7.96

$5.16 ₡2,319

54.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.25 $16.25

$20.33 ₡9,143

-20.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.91 ₡1,310

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.67 ₡1,651

40.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.31 ₡588

38.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.6 $63.6

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-13.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.19 ₡984

10.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.84 ₡829

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.61 $23.61

$7.81 ₡3,513

202.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.56 ₡702

-39.74%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-17.31%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-29.69%

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

$223 $223

$95.9 ₡43.1K

132.16%

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

$71.4 $71.4

$35.37 ₡15.9K

101.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 $73.9

$53.7 ₡24.1K

37.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.09 $40.09

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-40.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 $6.94

$7.72 ₡3,473

-10.10%

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

$793 $793

$496 ₡222.8K

59.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

170.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 $69.3

$54.6 ₡24.6K

26.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.65 $48.65

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-11.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 $92.5

$79.8 ₡35.9K

15.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$77.9 ₡35.0K

82.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$817 ₡367.5K

91.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 $1,252

$800 ₡359.7K

56.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,617 $2,617

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 $2,090

$1,396 ₡627.6K

49.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,888 $2,888

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-58.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,381 $2,381

$1,222 ₡549.6K

94.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

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 Sidney, NE: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sidney, NE

$1.3K 47.4%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 36.1% $451

Groceries & Markets

Sidney, NE

$401 15.2%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 12.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sidney, NE

$368 13.9%

Nosara

$185 10% 49.7% $183

Eating Out

Sidney, NE

$325 12.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 34.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Sidney, NE

$159 6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.2% $38

Getting Around

Sidney, NE

$81 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 11.6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sidney, NE

$54 2.1%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 53.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,565 in Sidney, NE versus $817 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 $41 in Sidney, NE versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Sidney, NE vs $353 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sidney, NE

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h ahead of Sidney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,400

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sidney, NE Nosara 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sidney, NE
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

Sidney, NE vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,638 in Sidney, NE, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Sidney, NE and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,565 in Sidney, NE.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Sidney, NE. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Sidney, NE and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,638 in Sidney, NE and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.