Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Simpsonville, SC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,229 in Simpsonville, SC, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Simpsonville, SC
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Simpsonville, SC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Simpsonville, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,229

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,229 per month in Simpsonville, SC vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Simpsonville, SC $2,229
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,292 per month in Simpsonville, SC vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Simpsonville, SC $3,292
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,356 per month in Simpsonville, SC vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Simpsonville, SC $4,356
Nosara $3,814

Simpsonville, SC costs about 21% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Simpsonville, SC and Nosara sit above the global median – Simpsonville, SC by 65%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.90 $17.90

$12.34 ₡5,535

45.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

23.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$7.76 ₡3,481

42.14%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$4.44 ₡1,992

19.14%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.79 ₡803

52.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.29 ₡580

55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.24 ₡1,451

90.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.62 $7.62

$4.43 ₡1,985

72.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡696

-41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.08 ₡1,380

34.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.53 ₡1,133

26.88%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$3.45 ₡1,546

13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 $14.99

$7.32 ₡3,284

104.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$10.24 ₡4,594

24.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$14.10 ₡6,326

26.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.29 ₡1,027

137.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.64 ₡737

-9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$4.79 ₡2,149

-6.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.64 ₡735

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.85 ₡1,727

-4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.75 ₡1,681

-18.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.09 ₡488

88.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.59 ₡1,160

-21.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.46 $8.46

$5.12 ₡2,295

65.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$19.92 ₡8,931

-24.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.80 ₡1,255

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.52 ₡1,580

-49.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.17 ₡973

40.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.56 ₡698

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.91 $17.91

$8.67 ₡3,886

106.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 ₡697

-42.58%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.94%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-34.98%

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

$145 $145

$94.8 ₡42.5K

52.73%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$36.15 ₡16.2K

84.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

49.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.7 $87.7

$73.8 ₡33.1K

18.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 $15.29

$7.91 ₡3,548

93.30%

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

$1,463 $1,463

$490 ₡219.9K

198.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K $10.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-15.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.84 $49.84

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-9.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.47 $35.47

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-36.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$77.9 ₡34.9K

69.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$801 ₡359.1K

59.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$790 ₡354.1K

21.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 $1,803

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-54.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$1,409 ₡632.0K

6.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 $4,369

$887 ₡397.6K

392.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

8.62

-22.27%

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

Last update for Simpsonville, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Simpsonville, SC

$958 43%

Nosara

$790 43% 17.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Simpsonville, SC

$409 18.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 14.6% $60

Eating Out

Simpsonville, SC

$305 13.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Simpsonville, SC

$291 13.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 36.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Simpsonville, SC

$137 6.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 11.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Simpsonville, SC

$118 5.3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 24.2% $29

Getting Around

Simpsonville, SC

$11 * 0.5%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 735% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,280 in Simpsonville, SC versus $801 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 393% higher in Simpsonville, SC, 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 $76.0 in Simpsonville, SC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Simpsonville, SC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

2 h behind Simpsonville, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,234

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Simpsonville, SC Nosara 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Simpsonville, SC
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

Simpsonville, SC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,229 in Simpsonville, SC, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,344 per month in Simpsonville, SC and $2,753 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 $76.0 in Simpsonville, SC and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Simpsonville, SC, 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 $1,835, than in Simpsonville, SC at $2,229. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Simpsonville, SC 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,229 in Simpsonville, SC. 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, Simpsonville, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.