Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Villages, FL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,190 in The Villages, FL, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in The Villages, FL
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The Villages, FL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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The Villages, FL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,190

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,190 per month in The Villages, FL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

The Villages, FL $2,190
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,452 per month in The Villages, FL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

The Villages, FL $3,452
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,714 per month in The Villages, FL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

The Villages, FL $4,714
Nosara $3,814

The Villages, FL costs about 19% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both The Villages, FL and Nosara sit above the global median – The Villages, FL by 62%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 $12.08

$12.34 ₡5,535

-2.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 $8.71

$7.76 ₡3,481

12.24%

Cappuccino

$4.45 $4.45

$4.44 ₡1,992

0.23%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.79 ₡803

43.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.29 ₡580

90.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.24 ₡1,451

53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 $7.08

$4.43 ₡1,985

59.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡696

-34.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.08 ₡1,380

15.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.53 ₡1,133

70.36%

Eggs

$4.26 $4.26

$3.45 ₡1,546

23.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 $12.54

$7.32 ₡3,284

71.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.41 $11.41

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.25 $17.25

$14.10 ₡6,326

22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.29 ₡1,027

113.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.64 ₡737

-21.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.79 ₡2,149

-8.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.64 ₡735

193.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.85 ₡1,727

-20.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.75 ₡1,681

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.09 ₡488

100.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.59 ₡1,160

-6.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$5.12 ₡2,295

96.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$19.92 ₡8,931

-23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.80 ₡1,255

-22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$3.52 ₡1,580

3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.22 ₡549

56.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.17 ₡973

41.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.56 ₡698

18.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.49 $26.49

$8.67 ₡3,886

205.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.55 ₡697

-43.23%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.49%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-35.94%

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

$195 $195

$94.8 ₡42.5K

106.14%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$36.15 ₡16.2K

63.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

31.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 $41.22

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-44.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 $13.72

$7.91 ₡3,548

73.45%

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

$1,260 $1,260

$490 ₡219.9K

157.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

87.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 $53.9

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-1.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.33 $41.33

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-26.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$77.9 ₡34.9K

48.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 $1,426

$801 ₡359.1K

78.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$790 ₡354.1K

27.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,785 $2,785

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$1,409 ₡632.0K

48.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 $2,721

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,336 $2,336

$1,236 ₡554.3K

89.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,414 $6,414

$887 ₡397.6K

623.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

8.62

-24.94%

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

Last update for The Villages, FL: 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

The Villages, FL

$1K 46%

Nosara

$790 43% 21.6% $218

Groceries & Markets

The Villages, FL

$401 18.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Villages, FL

$325 14.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 43.3% $140

Eating Out

The Villages, FL

$235 10.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 9.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

The Villages, FL

$133 6.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

The Villages, FL

$69 3.1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 30.5% $21

Getting Around

The Villages, FL

$20 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 345% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,426 in The Villages, 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 623% higher in The Villages, 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 $75.0 in The Villages, FL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 The Villages, FL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

2 h behind The Villages, FL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,077

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

The Villages, FL Nosara 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

The Villages, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,190 in The Villages, FL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,285 per month in The Villages, 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 $75.0 in The Villages, 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 15% more in The Villages, 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 The Villages, FL at $2,190. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Villages, 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 $2,190 in The Villages, 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, The Villages, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.