Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Summerville, SC and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $3,309 in Summerville, SC, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Summerville, SC
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Summerville, SC Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Summerville, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,309

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,309 per month in Summerville, SC vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Summerville, SC $3,309
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $4,939 per month in Summerville, SC vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Summerville, SC $4,939
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $6,569 per month in Summerville, SC vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Summerville, SC $6,569
Nosara $3,814

Summerville, SC costs about 80% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Summerville, SC and Nosara sit above the global median – Summerville, SC by 144%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 $17.67

$12.34 ₡5,535

43.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 $99.1

$61.3 ₡27.5K

61.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.76 ₡3,481

55.93%

Cappuccino

$6.78 $6.78

$4.44 ₡1,992

52.70%

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

$3.29 $3.29

$1.79 ₡803

83.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.29 ₡580

61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.72 $8.72

$3.24 ₡1,451

169.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$4.43 ₡1,985

81.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡696

-34.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.08 ₡1,380

39.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$2.53 ₡1,133

154.55%

Eggs

$3.29 $3.29

$3.45 ₡1,546

-4.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.52 $15.52

$7.32 ₡3,284

112.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.81 $24.81

$10.24 ₡4,594

142.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.76 $23.76

$14.10 ₡6,326

68.51%

Apples (1kg)

$8.01 $8.01

$2.29 ₡1,027

249.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.64 ₡737

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.90 $8.90

$4.79 ₡2,149

85.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.91 $7.91

$1.64 ₡735

382.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.85 ₡1,727

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.75 ₡1,681

23.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.09 ₡488

190.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.59 ₡1,160

0.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$5.12 ₡2,295

126.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 $12.77

$19.92 ₡8,931

-35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.80 ₡1,255

-11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.52 ₡1,580

-33.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 $0.67

$1.22 ₡549

-45.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.90 $29.90

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-59.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.17 ₡973

133.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.56 ₡698

-1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.48 $34.48

$8.67 ₡3,886

297.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.55 ₡697

-45.81%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.15%

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

$33.9K $33.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-12.60%

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

$215 $215

$94.8 ₡42.5K

126.72%

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

$95.7 $95.7

$36.15 ₡16.2K

164.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.6 $82.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

55.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.56 $33.56

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-54.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$7.91 ₡3,548

90.01%

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

$1,502 $1,502

$490 ₡219.9K

206.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

84.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.74 $43.74

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-21.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 $95.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

18.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$77.9 ₡34.9K

52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$801 ₡359.1K

162.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 $1,757

$790 ₡354.1K

122.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,862 $3,862

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 $3,054

$1,409 ₡632.0K

116.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,942 $4,942

$887 ₡397.6K

457.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Summerville, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Summerville, SC

$1.8K 53.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 55.1% $968

Groceries & Markets

Summerville, SC

$568 17.2%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 38.5% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Summerville, SC

$393 11.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 53.2% $209

Eating Out

Summerville, SC

$340 10.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 37.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Summerville, SC

$141 4.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 14.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Summerville, SC

$64 1.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 40.9% $26

Getting Around

Summerville, SC

$45 1.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 95.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,106 in Summerville, SC 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 457% higher in Summerville, SC, 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 $99.0 in Summerville, SC versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $568 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Summerville, SC

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

2 h behind Summerville, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,738

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Summerville, SC Nosara 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Summerville, SC
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

Summerville, SC vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,309 in Summerville, SC, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,963 per month in Summerville, SC 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.

Public transport costs about 147% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,502 per month in Summerville, SC and $490 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 $1,835, than in Summerville, SC at $3,309. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Summerville, SC 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 $3,309 in Summerville, SC. 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, Summerville, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.