Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Starkville, MS and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Starkville, MS and in Nosara: $1,796 and $1,835 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Starkville, MS
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Starkville, MS Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Starkville, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,796

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,796 per month in Starkville, MS vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Starkville, MS $1,796
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,733 per month in Starkville, MS vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Starkville, MS $2,733
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,669 per month in Starkville, MS vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Starkville, MS $3,669
Nosara $3,814

Starkville, MS is about 2% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Starkville, MS and Nosara sit above the global median – Starkville, MS by 33%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$12.34 ₡5,535

20.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 $8.46

$7.76 ₡3,481

9.02%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$4.44 ₡1,992

-3.83%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.79 ₡803

32.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.29 ₡580

43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.24 ₡1,451

22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.43 ₡1,985

56.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.55 ₡696

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.08 ₡1,380

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.53 ₡1,133

5.93%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$3.45 ₡1,546

22.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$7.32 ₡3,284

27.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$10.24 ₡4,594

10.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.10 ₡6,326

6.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.29 ₡1,027

66.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.64 ₡737

-15.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$4.79 ₡2,149

-27.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.64 ₡735

79.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.85 ₡1,727

-43.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.75 ₡1,681

-41.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.09 ₡488

96.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.59 ₡1,160

-25.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.41 $8.41

$5.12 ₡2,295

64.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$19.92 ₡8,931

-49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.80 ₡1,255

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$3.52 ₡1,580

-6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.17 ₡973

103.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.56 ₡698

19.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.98 $32.98

$8.67 ₡3,886

280.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.55 ₡697

-43.87%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.08%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.65%

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

$169 $169

$94.8 ₡42.5K

78.52%

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

$30.57 $30.57

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-15.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 $52.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-1.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.28 $17.28

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-76.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 $8.19

$7.91 ₡3,548

3.54%

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

$1,534 $1,534

$490 ₡219.9K

212.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,370 $8,370

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$54.8 ₡24.6K

32.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 $52.2

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 $168

$77.9 ₡34.9K

116.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 $942

$801 ₡359.1K

17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 $748

$790 ₡354.1K

-5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-60.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-4.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-69.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 $2,183

$1,236 ₡554.3K

76.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 $4,273

$887 ₡397.6K

381.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

8.62

-22.85%

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

Last update for Starkville, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Starkville, MS

$748 41.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 5.5% $42

Groceries & Markets

Starkville, MS

$332 18.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 5.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Starkville, MS

$252 14%

Nosara

$184 10% 27% $68

Eating Out

Starkville, MS

$246 13.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 13.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Starkville, MS

$171 9.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 29.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Starkville, MS

$34 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 166% $56

Getting Around

Starkville, MS

$14 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 544% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Starkville, MS 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.

Salaries run about 382% higher in Starkville, MS, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Starkville, MS versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $350 – making Starkville, MS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Starkville, MS

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

1 h behind Starkville, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,638

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Starkville, MS Nosara 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Starkville, MS
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

Starkville, MS vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,796 in Starkville, MS, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,695 per month in Starkville, MS 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 Starkville, MS, 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 $60.0 in Starkville, MS 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 5% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Starkville, MS, where all-in costs run around $1,796, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Starkville, MS it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,796 in Starkville, MS to $1,835 in Nosara. 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 Starkville, MS. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.