Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Cloud, MN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in St. Cloud, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in St. Cloud, MN
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St. Cloud, MN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St. Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,929 per month in St. Cloud, MN vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Cloud, MN $1,929
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,044 per month in St. Cloud, MN vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Cloud, MN $3,044
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,158 per month in St. Cloud, MN vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Cloud, MN $4,158
Nosara $3,712

St. Cloud, MN costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Cloud, MN and Nosara sit above the global median – St. Cloud, MN by 44%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.17 $20.17

$12.22 ₡5,509

65.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$60.2 ₡27.1K

23.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.54 ₡3,399

46.95%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$4.31 ₡1,941

36.19%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.72 ₡773

63.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.35 ₡608

82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 $6.86

$3.24 ₡1,459

111.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.48 ₡2,018

80.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.57 ₡707

-51.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$3.17 ₡1,429

-11.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.42 ₡1,091

35.54%

Eggs

$2.31 $2.31

$3.57 ₡1,609

-35.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$7.43 ₡3,349

-34.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$10.42 ₡4,697

-7.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$13.66 ₡6,156

31.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.32 ₡1,044

63.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.61 ₡728

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$4.74 ₡2,138

-28.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.66 ₡747

30.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 $0.79

$3.72 ₡1,679

-78.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.57 ₡1,611

-53.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.10 ₡497

84.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.55 ₡1,149

-28.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$4.95 ₡2,232

101.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 $11.87

$20.01 ₡9,020

-40.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.79 ₡1,256

-36.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.53 ₡1,589

-7.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.19 ₡537

73.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.24 ₡1,011

34.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.55 ₡701

24.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.78 $32.78

$8.86 ₡3,993

269.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.57 ₡708

-43.95%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

48.80%

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

$22.5K $22.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-34.93%

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

$168 $168

$93.5 ₡42.1K

80.09%

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

$45.83 $45.83

$35.11 ₡15.8K

30.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.18 $44.18

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.54 $41.54

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$7.84 ₡3,535

78.95%

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

$1,697 $1,697

$490 ₡220.7K

246.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K $24.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

104.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 $62.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

16.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$55.8 ₡25.1K

11.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 $73.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 $85.4

$78.9 ₡35.6K

8.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 $992

$786 ₡354.3K

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 $819

$780 ₡351.6K

5.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-50.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,626 $1,626

$1,407 ₡634.4K

15.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 $2,638

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-62.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,594 $2,594

$1,201 ₡541.3K

116.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,096 $6,096

$876 ₡395.0K

595.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

8.62

-23.32%

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

Last update for St. Cloud, MN: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Cloud, MN

$819 42.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 4.8% $39

Eating Out

St. Cloud, MN

$337 17.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 37.8% $127

Groceries & Markets

St. Cloud, MN

$300 15.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 16.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Cloud, MN

$258 13.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 30.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

St. Cloud, MN

$128 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 5.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

St. Cloud, MN

$70 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

St. Cloud, MN

$21 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 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 $992 in St. Cloud, MN 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.

Salaries run about 596% higher in St. Cloud, MN, 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 $74.0 in St. Cloud, MN versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in St. Cloud, MN vs $350 in Nosara – so St. Cloud, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Cloud, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

1 h behind St. Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,842

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Cloud, MN Nosara 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Cloud, MN
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

St. Cloud, MN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,893 per month in St. Cloud, MN 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 $74.0 in St. Cloud, MN and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in St. Cloud, MN – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in St. Cloud, MN at $1,929. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Cloud, MN 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 $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN. 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, St. Cloud, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.