Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Joseph, MO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,577 in St. Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in St. Joseph, MO
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St. Joseph, MO Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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St. Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,577

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,577 per month in St. Joseph, MO vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Joseph, MO $2,577
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,741 per month in St. Joseph, MO vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Joseph, MO $3,741
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,905 per month in St. Joseph, MO vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

St. Joseph, MO $4,905
Nosara $3,814

St. Joseph, MO costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Joseph, MO and Nosara sit above the global median – St. Joseph, MO by 90%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.63 $18.63

$12.34 ₡5,535

50.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

22.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$7.76 ₡3,481

43.56%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$4.44 ₡1,992

16.67%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.79 ₡803

37.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.29 ₡580

50.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$3.24 ₡1,451

89.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.43 ₡1,985

57.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 ₡696

-35.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.08 ₡1,380

16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.53 ₡1,133

69.17%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$3.45 ₡1,546

19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 $12.08

$7.32 ₡3,284

65.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$10.24 ₡4,594

10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 $15.23

$14.10 ₡6,326

8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.29 ₡1,027

118.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.64 ₡737

-0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.79 ₡2,149

-13.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.64 ₡735

189.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.85 ₡1,727

-27.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.75 ₡1,681

-26.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.09 ₡488

87.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.59 ₡1,160

-16.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$5.12 ₡2,295

83.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 $14.04

$19.92 ₡8,931

-29.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.80 ₡1,255

-34.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.52 ₡1,580

-1.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.22 ₡549

68.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.17 ₡973

58.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.56 ₡698

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.82 $28.82

$8.67 ₡3,886

232.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.55 ₡697

-45.16%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.90%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.72%

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

$185 $185

$94.8 ₡42.5K

94.81%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

43.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

28.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.46 $43.46

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-41.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 $13.55

$7.91 ₡3,548

71.30%

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

$1,299 $1,299

$490 ₡219.9K

165.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

95.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-27.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$77.9 ₡34.9K

44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 $1,623

$801 ₡359.1K

102.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 $1,358

$790 ₡354.1K

72.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,595 $2,595

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-35.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 $2,196

$1,409 ₡632.0K

55.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$1,236 ₡554.3K

100.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for St. Joseph, MO: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Joseph, MO

$1.4K 52.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 41.9% $569

Groceries & Markets

St. Joseph, MO

$386 15%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 9.3% $36

Eating Out

St. Joseph, MO

$307 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Joseph, MO

$305 11.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 39.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

St. Joseph, MO

$131 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 7.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

St. Joseph, MO

$71 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 27% $19

Getting Around

St. Joseph, MO

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 354% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in St. Joseph, MO 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in St. Joseph, MO versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 St. Joseph, MO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

1 h behind St. Joseph, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,542

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Joseph, MO Nosara 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Joseph, MO
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. Joseph, MO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,577 in St. Joseph, MO, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,865 per month in St. Joseph, MO 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 $75.0 in St. Joseph, MO 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 10% more in St. Joseph, MO, 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 St. Joseph, MO at $2,577. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Joseph, MO 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 $2,577 in St. Joseph, MO. 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. Joseph, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.