Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City Center, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,576 in Sun City Center, FL, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Sun City Center, FL
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Sun City Center, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Sun City Center, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,576 per month in Sun City Center, FL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Sun City Center, FL $2,576
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,764 per month in Sun City Center, FL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Sun City Center, FL $3,764
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,952 per month in Sun City Center, FL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Sun City Center, FL $4,952
Nosara $3,814

Sun City Center, FL costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sun City Center, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – Sun City Center, FL by 90%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.28 $25.28

$12.34 ₡5,535

104.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 $67.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 $12.24

$7.76 ₡3,481

57.73%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$4.44 ₡1,992

22.52%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.79 ₡803

35.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.29 ₡580

43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.24 ₡1,451

57.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$4.43 ₡1,985

67.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 ₡696

-33.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.08 ₡1,380

4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.53 ₡1,133

37.55%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$3.45 ₡1,546

-14.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$7.32 ₡3,284

64.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$10.24 ₡4,594

28.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 $19.01

$14.10 ₡6,326

34.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.29 ₡1,027

122.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.64 ₡737

7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.00 $6.00

$4.79 ₡2,149

25.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.64 ₡735

97.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.85 ₡1,727

-51.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.75 ₡1,681

-12.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.09 ₡488

141.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.59 ₡1,160

-51.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.92 $8.92

$5.12 ₡2,295

74.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$19.92 ₡8,931

-34.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 $6.24

$3.52 ₡1,580

77.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.22 ₡549

44.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.17 ₡973

56.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.56 ₡698

-5.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.98 $29.98

$8.67 ₡3,886

245.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 ₡697

-33.55%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.08%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-40.79%

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

$118 $118

$94.8 ₡42.5K

24.91%

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

$37.95 $37.95

$36.15 ₡16.2K

4.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

13.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.22 $38.22

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.78 $15.78

$7.91 ₡3,548

99.49%

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

$1,086 $1,086

$490 ₡219.9K

121.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K $18.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

52.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.44 $37.44

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-31.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.66 $39.66

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-29.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 $89.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 $178

$77.9 ₡34.9K

129.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$801 ₡359.1K

103.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 $1,367

$790 ₡354.1K

73.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,519 $2,519

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 $2,191

$1,409 ₡632.0K

55.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,593 $2,593

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-63.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,365 $2,365

$1,236 ₡554.3K

91.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Sun City Center, FL: 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

Sun City Center, FL

$1.4K 53.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 42.2% $577

Groceries & Markets

Sun City Center, FL

$389 15.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 10% $39

Eating Out

Sun City Center, FL

$362 14%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 41.2% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City Center, FL

$216 8.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 15% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City Center, FL

$155 6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 22% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City Center, FL

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Sun City Center, FL

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 398% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Sun City Center, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Sun City Center, FL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sun City Center, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h behind Sun City Center, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,258

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

Sun City Center, FL Nosara 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sun City Center, 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

Sun City Center, FL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,576 in Sun City Center, FL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,864 per month in Sun City Center, 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 $68.0 in Sun City Center, 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 11% more in Sun City Center, 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 Sun City Center, FL at $2,576. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sun City Center, 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 $2,576 in Sun City Center, 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, Sun City Center, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.