Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stuart, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,268 in Stuart, FL, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Stuart, FL
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Stuart, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Stuart, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,268

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,268 per month in Stuart, FL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Stuart, FL $3,268
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,394 per month in Stuart, FL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Stuart, FL $4,394
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,521 per month in Stuart, FL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Stuart, FL $5,521
Nosara $3,814

Stuart, FL costs about 78% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stuart, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Stuart, FL by 141%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.60 $19.60

$12.34 ₡5,535

58.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-1.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.09 $10.09

$7.76 ₡3,481

30.03%

Cappuccino

$4.69 $4.69

$4.44 ₡1,992

5.63%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.79 ₡803

68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.29 ₡580

77.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

120.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.43 ₡1,985

62.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.55 ₡696

-18.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.08 ₡1,380

28.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.53 ₡1,133

73.12%

Eggs

$5.16 $5.16

$3.45 ₡1,546

49.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$7.32 ₡3,284

127.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.55 $14.55

$10.24 ₡4,594

42.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 $11.43

$14.10 ₡6,326

-18.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.29 ₡1,027

126.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.64 ₡737

-2.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$4.79 ₡2,149

-22.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.64 ₡735

159.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.85 ₡1,727

-48.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.75 ₡1,681

-13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.09 ₡488

101.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.59 ₡1,160

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.35 $9.35

$5.12 ₡2,295

82.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.23 $13.23

$19.92 ₡8,931

-33.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.80 ₡1,255

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.52 ₡1,580

-9.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.17 ₡973

35.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.56 ₡698

33.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.54 $23.54

$8.67 ₡3,886

171.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.55 ₡697

-47.74%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

0.24%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-36.25%

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

$165 $165

$94.8 ₡42.5K

73.94%

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

$40.42 $40.42

$36.15 ₡16.2K

11.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 $57.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

8.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 $29.25

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-60.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 $11.42

$7.91 ₡3,548

44.37%

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

$1,769 $1,769

$490 ₡219.9K

260.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.6K $39.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

233.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.18 $27.18

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.22 $39.22

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 $73.3

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 $88.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,556 $2,556

$801 ₡359.1K

219.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$790 ₡354.1K

167.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,139 $4,139

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,984 $2,984

$1,409 ₡632.0K

111.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,175 $3,175

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-55.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,235 $3,235

$1,236 ₡554.3K

161.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,783 $3,783

$887 ₡397.6K

326.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.77

8.62

-33.06%

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

Last update for Stuart, FL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stuart, FL

$2.1K 64.6%

Nosara

$790 43% 62.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Stuart, FL

$410 12.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 14.7% $60

Eating Out

Stuart, FL

$315 9.6%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stuart, FL

$263 8%

Nosara

$184 10% 30% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Stuart, FL

$103 3.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 17.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Stuart, FL

$52 1.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 72% $38

Getting Around

Stuart, FL

$13 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 564% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,556 in Stuart, FL 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 327% higher in Stuart, FL, 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 $60.0 in Stuart, FL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $410 in Stuart, FL vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stuart, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

2 h behind Stuart, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,155

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stuart, FL Nosara 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Stuart, FL
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

Stuart, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,268 in Stuart, FL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 78% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,902 per month in Stuart, FL 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 $60.0 in Stuart, FL 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 17% more in Stuart, FL, 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 Stuart, FL at $3,268. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stuart, FL 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 $3,268 in Stuart, FL. 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, Stuart, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.