Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stafford, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,584 in Stafford, VA, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Stafford, VA
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Stafford, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stafford, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,584

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,584 per month in Stafford, VA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Stafford, VA $2,584
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,005 per month in Stafford, VA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Stafford, VA $4,005
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $5,426 per month in Stafford, VA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Stafford, VA $5,426
Nosara $3,712

Stafford, VA costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stafford, VA and Nosara sit above the global median – Stafford, VA by 93%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.20 $16.20

$12.22 ₡5,509

32.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 $108

$60.2 ₡27.1K

79.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.04 $12.04

$7.54 ₡3,399

59.68%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$4.31 ₡1,941

23.90%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$1.72 ₡773

81.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.35 ₡608

97.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.24 ₡1,459

111.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 $9.96

$4.48 ₡2,018

122.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.57 ₡707

-18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.17 ₡1,429

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$2.42 ₡1,091

190.91%

Eggs

$4.87 $4.87

$3.57 ₡1,609

36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 $17.23

$7.43 ₡3,349

131.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.87 $10.87

$10.42 ₡4,697

4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.66 $18.66

$13.66 ₡6,156

36.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.32 ₡1,044

196.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.61 ₡728

47.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.74 ₡2,138

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$1.66 ₡747

247.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.72 ₡1,679

-25.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.57 ₡1,611

5.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.10 ₡497

136.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.55 ₡1,149

9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.19 $14.19

$4.95 ₡2,232

186.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 $16.14

$20.01 ₡9,020

-19.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.79 ₡1,256

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.53 ₡1,589

60.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.24 ₡1,011

83.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.55 ₡701

1.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.44 $25.44

$8.86 ₡3,993

187.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.57 ₡708

-33.76%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

68.47%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-23.22%

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

$135 $135

$93.5 ₡42.1K

44.06%

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

$81.6 $81.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

132.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.5 $77.5

$51.5 ₡23.2K

50.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 $18.09

$7.84 ₡3,535

130.74%

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

$3,193 $3,193

$490 ₡220.7K

552.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.0K $41.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

244.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 $70.8

$53.5 ₡24.1K

32.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 $44.44

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-20.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$79.3 ₡35.7K

33.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$78.9 ₡35.6K

56.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 $1,764

$786 ₡354.3K

124.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 $1,307

$780 ₡351.6K

67.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,607 $2,607

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-32.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,374 $2,374

$1,407 ₡634.4K

68.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,195 $3,195

$1,201 ₡541.3K

166.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,357 $7,357

$876 ₡395.0K

739.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-30.39%

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

Last update for Stafford, VA: 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

Stafford, VA

$1.3K 50.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 40.4% $528

Groceries & Markets

Stafford, VA

$470 18.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 25.6% $120

Eating Out

Stafford, VA

$307 11.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 31.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stafford, VA

$294 11.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 38.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Stafford, VA

$155 6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 22.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Stafford, VA

$36 * 1.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 141% $51

Getting Around

Stafford, VA

$12 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 624% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,764 in Stafford, VA 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 740% higher in Stafford, VA, 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 $108 in Stafford, VA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stafford, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

00:48 12:48 AM

2 h behind Stafford, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,693

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

Stafford, VA Nosara 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Stafford, VA
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

Stafford, VA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,584 in Stafford, VA, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,876 per month in Stafford, VA 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 $108 in Stafford, VA 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 34% more in Stafford, VA, 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 Stafford, VA at $2,584. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stafford, VA 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 $2,584 in Stafford, VA. 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, Stafford, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.