Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suffolk, VA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,260 in Suffolk, VA, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Suffolk, VA
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Suffolk, VA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Suffolk, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,260

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,260 per month in Suffolk, VA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Suffolk, VA $2,260
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,300 per month in Suffolk, VA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Suffolk, VA $3,300
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,340 per month in Suffolk, VA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Suffolk, VA $4,340
Nosara $3,818

Suffolk, VA costs about 23% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Suffolk, VA and Nosara sit above the global median – Suffolk, VA by 67%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.06 $20.06

$12.35 ₡5,539

62.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

29.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.84%

Cappuccino

$4.58 $4.58

$4.41 ₡1,978

3.85%

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

$2.04 $2.04

$1.74 ₡780

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.31 ₡587

51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.28 ₡1,471

18.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 $5.23

$4.47 ₡2,004

17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.56 ₡701

-31.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.02 ₡1,355

-22.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.51 ₡1,125

2.39%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$3.57 ₡1,603

10.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 $16.19

$7.43 ₡3,333

117.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$10.52 ₡4,717

-47.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$13.97 ₡6,265

26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.35 ₡1,052

67.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.61 ₡720

-32.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.61 ₡724

167.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.80 ₡1,703

-30.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.13 ₡507

52.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.66 ₡1,191

16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$5.18 ₡2,321

78.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.39 $14.39

$19.88 ₡8,916

-27.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.63 ₡1,626

4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.12 ₡504

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.14 ₡958

83.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.57 ₡703

29.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.50 $24.50

$8.52 ₡3,823

187.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.52 ₡682

-43.42%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

68.80%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.74%

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

$153 $153

$96.3 ₡43.2K

58.38%

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

$53.8 $53.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

49.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.6 $82.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

54.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 $41.03

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.94 $14.94

$7.89 ₡3,539

89.35%

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

$890 $890

$494 ₡221.6K

80.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

96.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.06 $48.06

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.53 $47.53

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 $98.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$79.6 ₡35.7K

67.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 $1,238

$788 ₡353.4K

57.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 $1,086

$794 ₡356.2K

36.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,419 ₡636.5K

18.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$1,224 ₡549.0K

97.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,426 $4,426

$864 ₡387.3K

412.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

8.62

-34.11%

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

Last update for Suffolk, VA: 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

Suffolk, VA

$1.1K 48.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 26.8% $291

Groceries & Markets

Suffolk, VA

$347 15.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Suffolk, VA

$298 13.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suffolk, VA

$289 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 35.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Suffolk, VA

$147 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Suffolk, VA

$71 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 23.2% $16

Getting Around

Suffolk, VA

$22 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 292% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Suffolk, VA 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 413% higher in Suffolk, VA, 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 $79.0 in Suffolk, VA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $347 in Suffolk, VA vs $352 in Nosara – so Suffolk, VA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Suffolk, VA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

2 h behind Suffolk, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,324

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

Suffolk, VA Nosara 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Suffolk, VA
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

Suffolk, VA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,260 in Suffolk, VA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,389 per month in Suffolk, VA 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 $79.0 in Suffolk, VA and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Suffolk, VA – 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 $1,839, than in Suffolk, VA at $2,260. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Suffolk, VA 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 $2,260 in Suffolk, VA. 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, Suffolk, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.