Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stillwater, MN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,884 in Stillwater, MN, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Stillwater, MN
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Stillwater, MN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stillwater, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,884

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,884 per month in Stillwater, MN vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Stillwater, MN $2,884
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,047 per month in Stillwater, MN vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Stillwater, MN $4,047
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,209 per month in Stillwater, MN vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Stillwater, MN $5,209
Nosara $3,818

Stillwater, MN costs about 57% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stillwater, MN and Nosara sit above the global median – Stillwater, MN by 114%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 $17.57

$12.35 ₡5,539

42.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

32.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.17%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$4.41 ₡1,978

32.65%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$1.74 ₡780

77.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.31 ₡587

73.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.28 ₡1,471

108.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

79.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.56 ₡701

-42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.02 ₡1,355

19.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$2.51 ₡1,125

158.57%

Eggs

$3.59 $3.59

$3.57 ₡1,603

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$10.52 ₡4,717

28.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$13.97 ₡6,265

35.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.35 ₡1,052

90.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.61 ₡720

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$4.80 ₡2,152

-4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$1.61 ₡724

226.09%

Potato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.80 ₡1,703

13.42%

Onion (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.69 ₡1,657

12.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.13 ₡507

102.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.66 ₡1,191

-2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.94 $12.94

$5.18 ₡2,321

149.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.69 $15.69

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.90 ₡1,300

-1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 $5.78

$3.63 ₡1,626

59.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 $82.9

$72.6 ₡32.6K

14.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.14 ₡958

136.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.57 ₡703

10.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.82 $23.82

$8.52 ₡3,823

179.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 ₡682

-33.55%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.00%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.24%

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

$131 $131

$96.3 ₡43.2K

36.24%

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

$54.7 $54.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

52.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$53.6 ₡24.0K

24.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$71.6 ₡32.1K

76.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.50 $34.50

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-1.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$7.89 ₡3,539

96.96%

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

$1,383 $1,383

$494 ₡221.6K

179.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K $35.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

202.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.66 $44.66

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-19.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 $90.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.40 $49.40

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-37.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 $1,492

$788 ₡353.4K

89.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$794 ₡356.2K

90.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 $2,219

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-43.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,419 ₡636.5K

46.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,067 $3,067

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-55.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,899 $2,899

$1,224 ₡549.0K

136.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,855 $6,855

$864 ₡387.3K

693.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

8.62

-23.43%

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

Last update for Stillwater, MN: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stillwater, MN

$1.5K 52.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 47.5% $718

Groceries & Markets

Stillwater, MN

$437 15.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 19.4% $85

Eating Out

Stillwater, MN

$319 11.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stillwater, MN

$253 8.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 26.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Stillwater, MN

$158 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Stillwater, MN

$109 3.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.7% $11

Getting Around

Stillwater, MN

$97 * 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 9.8% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,492 in Stillwater, MN 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 694% higher in Stillwater, MN, 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 $81.0 in Stillwater, MN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stillwater, MN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h behind Stillwater, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,818

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

Stillwater, MN Nosara 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Stillwater, MN
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

Stillwater, MN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,884 in Stillwater, MN, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,327 per month in Stillwater, MN 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.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,383 per month in Stillwater, MN and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Stillwater, MN at $2,884. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stillwater, MN 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 $2,884 in Stillwater, MN. 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, Stillwater, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.