Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staten Island, NY and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Staten Island, NY
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Staten Island, NY Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Staten Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,998

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,998 per month in Staten Island, NY vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Staten Island, NY $2,998
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,498 per month in Staten Island, NY vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Staten Island, NY $4,498
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,998 per month in Staten Island, NY vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Staten Island, NY $5,998
Nosara $3,814

Staten Island, NY costs about 63% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Staten Island, NY and Nosara sit above the global median – Staten Island, NY by 121%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.72 $23.72

$12.34 ₡5,535

92.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 $88.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

44.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$7.76 ₡3,481

73.58%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.44 ₡1,992

47.30%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.79 ₡803

49.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.29 ₡580

27.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.24 ₡1,451

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.43 ₡1,985

84.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.55 ₡696

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.08 ₡1,380

59.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$2.53 ₡1,133

167.19%

Eggs

$5.84 $5.84

$3.45 ₡1,546

69.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$7.32 ₡3,284

138.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$10.24 ₡4,594

36.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$14.10 ₡6,326

36.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.29 ₡1,027

196.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.64 ₡737

112.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.79 ₡2,149

27.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$1.64 ₡735

315.24%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.85 ₡1,727

6.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.75 ₡1,681

14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.09 ₡488

155.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.59 ₡1,160

10.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.80 $17.80

$5.12 ₡2,295

247.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$19.92 ₡8,931

-26.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.52 ₡1,580

4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.22 ₡549

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.17 ₡973

39.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.56 ₡698

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$8.67 ₡3,886

392.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.55 ₡697

-25.81%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-5.75%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.17%

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

$213 $213

$94.8 ₡42.5K

124.95%

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

$75.0 $75.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

107.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

20.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$73.8 ₡33.1K

55.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$20.36 $20.36

$7.91 ₡3,548

157.40%

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

$2,001 $2,001

$490 ₡219.9K

308.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

36.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 $71.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

31.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.12 $37.12

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-33.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$80.4 ₡36.0K

27.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$77.9 ₡34.9K

36.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 $1,851

$801 ₡359.1K

131.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$790 ₡354.1K

80.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,379 $3,379

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-15.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$1,409 ₡632.0K

75.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,817 $6,817

$887 ₡397.6K

668.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

8.62

-21.11%

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

Last update for Staten Island, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staten Island, NY

$1.4K 47.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 44.5% $633

Groceries & Markets

Staten Island, NY

$517 17.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 32.4% $167

Eating Out

Staten Island, NY

$381 12.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 44.2% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staten Island, NY

$352 11.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 47.8% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Staten Island, NY

$156 5.2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 42.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Staten Island, NY

$143 4.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 15.2% $22

Getting Around

Staten Island, NY

$26 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 241% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,851 in Staten Island, NY 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 669% higher in Staten Island, NY, 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 $89.0 in Staten Island, NY versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $517 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staten Island, NY

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

2 h behind Staten Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,747

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

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Between locations

Staten Island, NY Nosara 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Staten Island, NY
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

Staten Island, NY vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,497 per month in Staten Island, NY 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 $89.0 in Staten Island, NY 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 48% more in Staten Island, NY, 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 Staten Island, NY at $2,998. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staten Island, NY 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 $2,998 in Staten Island, NY. 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, Staten Island, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.