Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,824 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,824

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Sterling vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sterling $2,824
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,327 per month in Sterling vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sterling $4,327
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,831 per month in Sterling vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sterling $5,831
Nosara $3,818

Sterling costs about 54% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sterling and Nosara sit above the global median – Sterling by 109%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 $19.32

$12.35 ₡5,539

56.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

23.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$7.52 ₡3,373

57.45%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$4.41 ₡1,978

33.79%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.74 ₡780

71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.31 ₡587

89.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.28 ₡1,471

65.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

76.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.56 ₡701

-32.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.02 ₡1,355

32.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.51 ₡1,125

103.59%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$3.57 ₡1,603

57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$7.43 ₡3,333

130.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$10.52 ₡4,717

38.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 $18.87

$13.97 ₡6,265

35.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.35 ₡1,052

137.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.61 ₡720

45.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.80 ₡2,152

5.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.61 ₡724

265.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.80 ₡1,703

-25.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.69 ₡1,657

3.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.13 ₡507

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-0.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$5.18 ₡2,321

91.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 $13.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.90 ₡1,300

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.63 ₡1,626

52.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.12 ₡504

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.14 ₡958

39.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.57 ₡703

-10.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.86 $22.86

$8.52 ₡3,823

168.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.52 ₡682

-31.58%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.40%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.32%

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

$156 $156

$96.3 ₡43.2K

62.32%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

40.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

47.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-58.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$18.12 $18.12

$7.89 ₡3,539

129.66%

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

$1,918 $1,918

$494 ₡221.6K

288.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

171.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$79.6 ₡35.7K

34.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$788 ₡353.4K

59.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$794 ₡356.2K

90.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 $2,025

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,875 $2,875

$1,419 ₡636.5K

102.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,239 $3,239

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-53.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 $2,372

$1,224 ₡549.0K

93.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,714 $3,714

$864 ₡387.3K

330.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Sterling: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sterling

$1.5K 53.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 47.5% $718

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$473 16.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 25.5% $121

Eating Out

Sterling

$326 11.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 35% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$286 10.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 35% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$132 4.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 33.1% $22

Getting Around

Sterling

$30 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 192% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,255 in Sterling versus $788 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 330% higher in Sterling, 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 $75.0 in Sterling versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $473 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h behind Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Sterling Nosara 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sterling
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

Sterling vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,824 in Sterling, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,236 per month in Sterling and $2,758 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 Sterling 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 34% more in Sterling, 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 $1,839, than in Sterling at $2,824. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sterling 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,824 in Sterling. 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, Sterling makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.