Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Dalles, OR and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,611 in The Dalles, OR, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in The Dalles, OR
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The Dalles, OR Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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The Dalles, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,611

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,611 per month in The Dalles, OR vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

The Dalles, OR $2,611
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,793 per month in The Dalles, OR vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

The Dalles, OR $3,793
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,974 per month in The Dalles, OR vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

The Dalles, OR $4,974
Nosara $3,814

The Dalles, OR costs about 42% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both The Dalles, OR and Nosara sit above the global median – The Dalles, OR by 93%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$12.34 ₡5,535

62.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.8 $96.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

57.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 $11.96

$7.76 ₡3,481

54.12%

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$4.44 ₡1,992

3.60%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.79 ₡803

36.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.29 ₡580

63.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.24 ₡1,451

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.43 ₡1,985

55.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 ₡696

-33.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.08 ₡1,380

5.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.53 ₡1,133

62.45%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$3.45 ₡1,546

-14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.43 $14.43

$7.32 ₡3,284

97.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.55 $13.55

$10.24 ₡4,594

32.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$14.10 ₡6,326

-22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.29 ₡1,027

109.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.64 ₡737

5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.79 ₡2,149

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.64 ₡735

143.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.85 ₡1,727

-22.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.75 ₡1,681

-12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.09 ₡488

70.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.59 ₡1,160

-20.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 $11.25

$5.12 ₡2,295

119.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.80 ₡1,255

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.52 ₡1,580

-17.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.22 ₡549

59.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.93 $44.93

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-39.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.17 ₡973

60.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.56 ₡698

41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.48 $49.48

$8.67 ₡3,886

470.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.55 ₡697

-16.13%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.65%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-36.13%

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

$188 $188

$94.8 ₡42.5K

98.04%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$36.15 ₡16.2K

65.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

29.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 $41.77

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-43.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$7.91 ₡3,548

49.56%

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

$987 $987

$490 ₡219.9K

101.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

36.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.22 $40.22

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-26.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.38 $34.38

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-38.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 $60.1

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-25.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 $81.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$801 ₡359.1K

101.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 $1,379

$790 ₡354.1K

74.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-36.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 $2,143

$1,409 ₡632.0K

52.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,021 $3,021

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-57.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,708 $2,708

$1,236 ₡554.3K

119.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,789 $3,789

$887 ₡397.6K

327.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

8.62

-23.55%

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

Last update for The Dalles, OR: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Dalles, OR

$1.4K 52.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 42.7% $589

Groceries & Markets

The Dalles, OR

$377 14.5%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 7.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Dalles, OR

$316 12.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 41.8% $132

Eating Out

The Dalles, OR

$309 11.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 31.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

The Dalles, OR

$97 3.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 24.4% $24

Getting Around

The Dalles, OR

$67 2.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 32.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

The Dalles, OR

$65 2.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 37% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,612 in The Dalles, OR 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 The Dalles, OR, 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 $97.0 in The Dalles, OR versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 The Dalles, OR

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h ahead of The Dalles, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,783

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

The Dalles, OR Nosara 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

The Dalles, OR
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

The Dalles, OR vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,611 in The Dalles, OR, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,917 per month in The Dalles, OR 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 64% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $987 per month in The Dalles, OR 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 The Dalles, OR at $2,611. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Dalles, OR 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 $2,611 in The Dalles, OR. 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, The Dalles, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.