Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevens Point, WI and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Stevens Point, WI and in Nosara: $1,837 and $1,835 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Stevens Point, WI
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Stevens Point, WI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stevens Point, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,837

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Stevens Point, WI vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Stevens Point, WI $1,837
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,518 per month in Stevens Point, WI vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Stevens Point, WI $2,518
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,200 per month in Stevens Point, WI vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Stevens Point, WI $3,200
Nosara $3,814

Stevens Point, WI and Nosara have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Stevens Point, WI and Nosara sit above the global median – Stevens Point, WI by 36%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.77 $15.77

$12.34 ₡5,535

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 $66.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

8.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$7.76 ₡3,481

27.45%

Cappuccino

$4.57 $4.57

$4.44 ₡1,992

2.93%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.79 ₡803

41.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.29 ₡580

44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.24 ₡1,451

21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 $5.54

$4.43 ₡1,985

25.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.55 ₡696

-41.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.08 ₡1,380

-30.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.53 ₡1,133

-15.42%

Eggs

$3.63 $3.63

$3.45 ₡1,546

5.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$7.32 ₡3,284

42.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 $9.02

$10.24 ₡4,594

-11.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 $10.80

$14.10 ₡6,326

-23.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.29 ₡1,027

93.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.64 ₡737

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$4.79 ₡2,149

-54.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.64 ₡735

106.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.85 ₡1,727

-56.62%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.75 ₡1,681

9.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.09 ₡488

116.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.59 ₡1,160

-40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.20 $8.20

$5.12 ₡2,295

60.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$19.92 ₡8,931

-50.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.80 ₡1,255

2.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.52 ₡1,580

-49.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.17 ₡973

136.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.56 ₡698

10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.55 $23.55

$8.67 ₡3,886

171.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.55 ₡697

-43.87%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.67%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-34.28%

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

$177 $177

$94.8 ₡42.5K

86.65%

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

$25.36 $25.36

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-29.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 $67.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

27.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 $67.0

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-9.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.09 $44.09

$35.63 ₡16.0K

23.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 $9.15

$7.91 ₡3,548

15.68%

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

$792 $792

$490 ₡219.9K

61.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.7K $35.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

200.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.97 $39.97

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-27.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 $39.82

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 $60.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-25.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 $81.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 $948

$801 ₡359.1K

18.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 $812

$790 ₡354.1K

2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 $889

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-77.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 $903

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-35.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,010 $2,010

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-71.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,966 $1,966

$1,236 ₡554.3K

59.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,040 $3,040

$887 ₡397.6K

242.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

8.62

-26.33%

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

Last update for Stevens Point, WI: 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

Stevens Point, WI

$812 44.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 2.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Stevens Point, WI

$297 16.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 17.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stevens Point, WI

$270 14.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 31.9% $86

Eating Out

Stevens Point, WI

$259 14.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 17.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Stevens Point, WI

$100 5.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 21.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Stevens Point, WI

$85 4.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 5.1% $4.3

Getting Around

Stevens Point, WI

$14 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 545% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $948 in Stevens Point, WI 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 243% higher in Stevens Point, WI. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Stevens Point, WI versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Stevens Point, WI vs $350 in Nosara – so Stevens Point, WI wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stevens Point, WI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h behind Stevens Point, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,666

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

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Between locations

Stevens Point, WI Nosara 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Stevens Point, WI
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

Stevens Point, WI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,755 per month in Stevens Point, WI 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.

Kindergarten costs $792 per month in Stevens Point, WI and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Stevens Point, WI – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Stevens Point, WI at $1,837. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stevens Point, WI 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 $1,837 in Stevens Point, WI. 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, Stevens Point, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.