Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Steamboat Springs, CO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,702 in Steamboat Springs, CO, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Steamboat Springs, CO
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Steamboat Springs, CO Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Steamboat Springs, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,702

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,702 per month in Steamboat Springs, CO vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Steamboat Springs, CO $2,702
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $4,084 per month in Steamboat Springs, CO vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Steamboat Springs, CO $4,084
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $5,465 per month in Steamboat Springs, CO vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Steamboat Springs, CO $5,465
Nosara $3,790

Steamboat Springs, CO costs about 47% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Steamboat Springs, CO and Nosara sit above the global median – Steamboat Springs, CO by 100%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.15 $24.15

$12.38 ₡5,568

95.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$126 $126

$60.6 ₡27.2K

107.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.81 ₡3,513

93.09%

Cappuccino

$6.86 $6.86

$4.37 ₡1,966

56.98%

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

$4.48 $4.48

$1.78 ₡800

151.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.35 ₡605

110.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.33 $7.33

$3.39 ₡1,526

116.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.55 $7.55

$4.31 ₡1,939

75.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 ₡699

-32.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.17 ₡1,425

13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.51 ₡1,130

74.50%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$3.53 ₡1,585

15.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$7.37 ₡3,313

70.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 $11.81

$10.46 ₡4,703

12.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$13.91 ₡6,255

23.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.26 ₡1,018

108.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.56 ₡701

3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$4.70 ₡2,113

2.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.62 ₡729

219.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.88 ₡1,746

-24.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.79 ₡1,704

-20.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.07 ₡481

85.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.61 ₡1,174

-12.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$5.16 ₡2,319

91.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.76 $20.76

$20.33 ₡9,143

2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.91 ₡1,310

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.67 ₡1,651

-6.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.31 ₡588

69.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 $56.0

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-23.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.19 ₡984

46.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.84 ₡829

4.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$7.81 ₡3,513

286.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.56 ₡702

-30.77%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-14.49%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-31.46%

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

$201 $201

$95.9 ₡43.1K

110.11%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$35.37 ₡15.9K

64.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$53.7 ₡24.1K

37.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.33 $39.33

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-41.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 $13.92

$7.72 ₡3,473

80.31%

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

$1,371 $1,371

$496 ₡222.8K

176.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

80.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-4.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.60 $41.60

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$79.8 ₡35.9K

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡35.0K

48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,200 $2,200

$817 ₡367.5K

169.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$800 ₡359.7K

58.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,223 $5,223

$3,889 ₡1.7M

34.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 $2,099

$1,396 ₡627.6K

50.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,857 $2,857

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-59.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,350 $2,350

$1,222 ₡549.6K

92.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for Steamboat Springs, CO: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Steamboat Springs, CO

$1.3K 47.1%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 37.1% $472

Groceries & Markets

Steamboat Springs, CO

$416 15.4%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 15.2% $63

Eating Out

Steamboat Springs, CO

$402 14.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 47% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Steamboat Springs, CO

$333 12.3%

Nosara

$185 10% 44.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Steamboat Springs, CO

$135 5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 10.6% $14

Getting Around

Steamboat Springs, CO

$78 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 15.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Steamboat Springs, CO

$67 2.5%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 23.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,200 in Steamboat Springs, CO versus $817 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 $126 in Steamboat Springs, CO versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Steamboat Springs, CO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

1 h ahead of Steamboat Springs, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

Steamboat Springs, CO Nosara 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Steamboat Springs, CO
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

Steamboat Springs, CO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,702 in Steamboat Springs, CO, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 32% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,053 per month in Steamboat Springs, CO and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $2,200 in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Steamboat Springs, CO. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,371 per month in Steamboat Springs, CO and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,702 in Steamboat Springs, CO and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.