Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spring Valley, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,728 in Spring Valley, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Spring Valley, IL
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Spring Valley, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Spring Valley, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,728

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,728 per month in Spring Valley, IL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Spring Valley, IL $2,728
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,975 per month in Spring Valley, IL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Spring Valley, IL $3,975
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,222 per month in Spring Valley, IL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Spring Valley, IL $5,222
Nosara $3,712

Spring Valley, IL costs about 48% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Spring Valley, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Spring Valley, IL by 104%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.22 ₡5,509

63.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 $67.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

11.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.86 $12.86

$7.54 ₡3,399

70.56%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$4.31 ₡1,941

34.34%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$1.72 ₡773

81.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.35 ₡608

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 $7.11

$3.24 ₡1,459

119.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.48 ₡2,018

79.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡707

-36.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.17 ₡1,429

9.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.42 ₡1,091

74.38%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$3.57 ₡1,609

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$7.43 ₡3,349

100.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$10.42 ₡4,697

25.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 $20.17

$13.66 ₡6,156

47.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.32 ₡1,044

102.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.61 ₡728

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.74 ₡2,138

7.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.66 ₡747

190.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.72 ₡1,679

-22.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.57 ₡1,611

-13.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.10 ₡497

98.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.55 ₡1,149

-7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.71 $10.71

$4.95 ₡2,232

116.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$20.01 ₡9,020

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.79 ₡1,256

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.53 ₡1,589

22.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.19 ₡537

52.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.24 ₡1,011

74.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.55 ₡701

30.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.86 $43.86

$8.86 ₡3,993

395.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.57 ₡708

-36.31%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

65.09%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-26.62%

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

$271 $271

$93.5 ₡42.1K

189.78%

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

$53.5 $53.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

52.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$51.5 ₡23.2K

60.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.59 $47.59

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-33.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 $15.14

$7.84 ₡3,535

93.11%

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

$1,714 $1,714

$490 ₡220.7K

250.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

95.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$53.5 ₡24.1K

20.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-8.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$79.3 ₡35.7K

35.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$78.9 ₡35.6K

52.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$786 ₡354.3K

119.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$780 ₡351.6K

63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,873 $2,873

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$1,407 ₡634.4K

50.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,935 $2,935

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-57.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$1,201 ₡541.3K

110.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

8.62

-22.39%

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

Last update for Spring Valley, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spring Valley, IL

$1.3K 47.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 38.8% $495

Groceries & Markets

Spring Valley, IL

$429 15.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 18.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spring Valley, IL

$407 15%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 55.7% $227

Eating Out

Spring Valley, IL

$342 12.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 38.8% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Spring Valley, IL

$154 5.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 22.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Spring Valley, IL

$78 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.8% $9.2

Getting Around

Spring Valley, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 308% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,722 in Spring Valley, IL versus $786 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 $67.0 in Spring Valley, IL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $429 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Spring Valley, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h behind Spring Valley, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,066

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

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Between locations

Spring Valley, IL Nosara 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Spring Valley, IL
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

Spring Valley, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,728 in Spring Valley, IL, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,092 per month in Spring Valley, IL and $2,756 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 $67.0 in Spring Valley, IL and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Spring Valley, IL, 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 $1,837, than in Spring Valley, IL at $2,728. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Spring Valley, IL 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,728 in Spring Valley, IL. 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, Spring Valley, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.