Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thornton, CO and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,865 in Thornton, CO, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Thornton, CO
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Thornton, CO Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,865 per month in Thornton, CO vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Thornton, CO $2,865
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,950 per month in Thornton, CO vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Thornton, CO $3,950
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $5,035 per month in Thornton, CO vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Thornton, CO $5,035
Nosara $3,790

Thornton, CO costs about 55% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thornton, CO and Nosara sit above the global median – Thornton, CO by 112%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 $19.96

$12.38 ₡5,568

61.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 $84.4

$60.6 ₡27.2K

39.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 $13.02

$7.81 ₡3,513

66.71%

Cappuccino

$6.14 $6.14

$4.37 ₡1,966

40.50%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.78 ₡800

60.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.35 ₡605

71.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.39 ₡1,526

102.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 $7.36

$4.31 ₡1,939

70.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.55 ₡699

-30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.17 ₡1,425

3.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.51 ₡1,130

78.09%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$3.53 ₡1,585

42.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$7.37 ₡3,313

100.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.46 ₡4,703

26.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.42 $19.42

$13.91 ₡6,255

39.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.26 ₡1,018

132.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.56 ₡701

34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$4.70 ₡2,113

-5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.62 ₡729

191.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.88 ₡1,746

-38.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.79 ₡1,704

-32.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.07 ₡481

114.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.61 ₡1,174

-2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$5.16 ₡2,319

101.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.69 $19.69

$20.33 ₡9,143

-3.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.91 ₡1,310

-5.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.67 ₡1,651

25.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.19 ₡984

63.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.84 ₡829

-16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.56 $24.56

$7.81 ₡3,513

214.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.56 ₡702

-30.77%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-17.01%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-30.76%

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

$166 $166

$95.9 ₡43.1K

72.97%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$35.37 ₡15.9K

114.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.2 $88.2

$53.7 ₡24.1K

64.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 $56.1

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-16.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.98 $9.98

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-71.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$7.72 ₡3,473

96.50%

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

$1,539 $1,539

$496 ₡222.8K

210.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

75.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$54.6 ₡24.6K

7.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.28 $40.28

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-26.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 $83.0

$79.8 ₡35.9K

3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$77.9 ₡35.0K

62.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,770 $1,770

$817 ₡367.5K

116.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 $1,511

$800 ₡359.7K

88.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,616 $2,616

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-32.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 $1,993

$1,396 ₡627.6K

42.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡549.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$879 ₡395.3K

489.08%

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 Thornton, CO: October 31, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thornton, CO

$1.5K 52.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 47% $711

Groceries & Markets

Thornton, CO

$445 15.5%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 20.8% $93

Eating Out

Thornton, CO

$342 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 37.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thornton, CO

$330 11.5%

Nosara

$185 10% 44% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Thornton, CO

$139 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 13.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Thornton, CO

$86 3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 4% $3.5

Getting Around

Thornton, CO

$11 * 0.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 698% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,770 in Thornton, CO versus $817 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 in Thornton, CO are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Thornton, CO versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $445 vs $353 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thornton, CO

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

1 h ahead of Thornton, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,478

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Thornton, CO Nosara 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Thornton, CO
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

Thornton, CO vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,865 in Thornton, CO, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,297 per month in Thornton, CO and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,770 in Thornton, CO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Thornton, CO and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Thornton, CO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thornton, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.