Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spartanburg, SC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Spartanburg, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,299

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,299 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $2,299
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,394 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $3,394
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,488 per month in Spartanburg, SC vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Spartanburg, SC $4,488
Nosara $3,818

Spartanburg, SC costs about 25% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Spartanburg, SC and Nosara sit above the global median – Spartanburg, SC by 70%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 $17.24

$12.35 ₡5,539

39.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 $60.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.52 ₡3,373

30.85%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$4.41 ₡1,978

29.48%

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

$2.13 $2.13

$1.74 ₡780

22.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.31 ₡587

79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.28 ₡1,471

54.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$4.47 ₡2,004

58.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.56 ₡701

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.02 ₡1,355

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.51 ₡1,125

125.50%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$3.57 ₡1,603

7.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$7.43 ₡3,333

76.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$10.52 ₡4,717

22.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$13.97 ₡6,265

18.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.35 ₡1,052

38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.61 ₡720

47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$4.80 ₡2,152

-18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$1.61 ₡724

281.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-29.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.69 ₡1,657

0.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.13 ₡507

97.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.66 ₡1,191

10.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 $9.05

$5.18 ₡2,321

74.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.77 $16.77

$19.88 ₡8,916

-15.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.63 ₡1,626

90.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 $119

$72.6 ₡32.6K

64.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.52 ₡682

-43.42%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

59.52%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-23.27%

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

$177 $177

$96.3 ₡43.2K

83.92%

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

$93.5 $93.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

160.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 $61.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

14.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.87 $26.87

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-62.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$7.89 ₡3,539

55.01%

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

$942 $942

$494 ₡221.6K

90.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.14 $41.14

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-23.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 $35.13

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

2.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$79.6 ₡35.7K

48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 $1,248

$788 ₡353.4K

58.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 $959

$794 ₡356.2K

20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-45.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 $1,588

$1,419 ₡636.5K

11.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-73.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,821 $1,821

$1,224 ₡549.0K

48.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,464 $3,464

$864 ₡387.3K

301.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.22

8.62

-16.24%

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

Last update for Spartanburg, SC: 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

Spartanburg, SC

$959 41.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 17.2% $165

Groceries & Markets

Spartanburg, SC

$421 * 18.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 16.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spartanburg, SC

$332 14.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 44.1% $146

Eating Out

Spartanburg, SC

$293 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 27.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Spartanburg, SC

$123 5.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.7% $3.3

Getting Around

Spartanburg, SC

$119 * 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 27% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Spartanburg, SC

$51 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.2% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,248 in Spartanburg, SC 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 301% higher in Spartanburg, 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 $61.0 in Spartanburg, SC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $421 in Spartanburg, SC vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Spartanburg, SC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

2 h behind Spartanburg, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,013

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

Spartanburg, SC Nosara 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Spartanburg, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,299 in Spartanburg, SC, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,449 per month in Spartanburg, SC 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 64% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $942 per month in Spartanburg, SC 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 Spartanburg, SC at $2,299. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Spartanburg, 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,299 in Spartanburg, 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, Spartanburg, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.