Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smyrna, GA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,891 in Smyrna, GA, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Smyrna, GA
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Smyrna, GA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Smyrna, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,891

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,891 per month in Smyrna, GA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Smyrna, GA $2,891
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,037 per month in Smyrna, GA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Smyrna, GA $4,037
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,182 per month in Smyrna, GA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Smyrna, GA $5,182
Nosara $3,818

Smyrna, GA costs about 57% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Smyrna, GA and Nosara sit above the global median – Smyrna, GA by 114%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 $16.86

$12.35 ₡5,539

36.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 $61.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

1.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 $10.43

$7.52 ₡3,373

38.70%

Cappuccino

$5.89 $5.89

$4.41 ₡1,978

33.56%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$1.74 ₡780

60.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.31 ₡587

58.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

114.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$4.47 ₡2,004

79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.56 ₡701

-48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.02 ₡1,355

-2.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.51 ₡1,125

42.63%

Eggs

$3.43 $3.43

$3.57 ₡1,603

-3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 $13.89

$7.43 ₡3,333

86.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$10.52 ₡4,717

6.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$13.97 ₡6,265

4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.35 ₡1,052

148.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.61 ₡720

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$4.80 ₡2,152

27.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.61 ₡724

186.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.80 ₡1,703

-6.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.69 ₡1,657

-27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.13 ₡507

98.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.66 ₡1,191

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.69 $8.69

$5.18 ₡2,321

67.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 $18.58

$19.88 ₡8,916

-6.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.90 ₡1,300

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.63 ₡1,626

41.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.12 ₡504

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.14 ₡958

65.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.57 ₡703

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.27 $24.27

$8.52 ₡3,823

184.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.52 ₡682

-38.82%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

71.90%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.79%

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

$247 $247

$96.3 ₡43.2K

156.08%

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

$54.5 $54.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

51.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.4 $81.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

51.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$198 $198

$71.6 ₡32.1K

176.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 $13.85

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-60.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.13 $17.13

$7.89 ₡3,539

117.11%

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

$1,061 $1,061

$494 ₡221.6K

114.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K $19.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

65.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 $55.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.16 $45.16

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 $83.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 $85.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

7.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 $1,681

$788 ₡353.4K

113.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 $1,429

$794 ₡356.2K

79.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,907 $2,907

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 $2,121

$1,419 ₡636.5K

49.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,441 $2,441

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-64.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,074 $2,074

$1,224 ₡549.0K

69.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,368 $4,368

$864 ₡387.3K

405.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Smyrna, GA: 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

Smyrna, GA

$1.4K 49.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 44.4% $634

Groceries & Markets

Smyrna, GA

$398 13.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smyrna, GA

$382 13.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 51.4% $197

Eating Out

Smyrna, GA

$308 10.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 31.1% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Smyrna, GA

$232 8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 62.3% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Smyrna, GA

$121 4.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.9% $1.1

Getting Around

Smyrna, GA

$21 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 315% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,681 in Smyrna, GA 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 406% higher in Smyrna, GA, 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 $62.0 in Smyrna, GA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Smyrna, GA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

2 h behind Smyrna, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,371

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Smyrna, GA Nosara 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Smyrna, GA
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

Smyrna, GA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,891 in Smyrna, GA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,337 per month in Smyrna, GA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Smyrna, GA 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 13% more in Smyrna, GA, 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 $1,839, than in Smyrna, GA at $2,891. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Smyrna, GA 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 $2,891 in Smyrna, GA. 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, Smyrna, GA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.