Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waltham, MA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $4,201 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

207

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,201

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,201 per month in Waltham, MA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Waltham, MA $4,201
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $6,499 per month in Waltham, MA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Waltham, MA $6,499
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $8,798 per month in Waltham, MA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Waltham, MA $8,798
Nosara $3,818

Waltham, MA costs about 128% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Waltham, MA and Nosara sit above the global median – Waltham, MA by 211%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.71 $24.71

$12.35 ₡5,539

100.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 $97.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

58.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.44%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$4.41 ₡1,978

21.77%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.74 ₡780

64.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.31 ₡587

76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.28 ₡1,471

51.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$4.47 ₡2,004

81.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.56 ₡701

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.02 ₡1,355

32.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

115.14%

Eggs

$4.87 $4.87

$3.57 ₡1,603

36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.43 ₡3,333

49.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.44 $14.44

$10.52 ₡4,717

37.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$13.97 ₡6,265

24.84%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$2.35 ₡1,052

184.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.61 ₡720

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$4.80 ₡2,152

10.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.61 ₡724

249.07%

Potato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.80 ₡1,703

13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

8.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.13 ₡507

155.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.66 ₡1,191

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 $12.70

$5.18 ₡2,321

145.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 $13.59

$19.88 ₡8,916

-31.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.90 ₡1,300

-25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.63 ₡1,626

15.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 $59.1

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-18.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.14 ₡958

23.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.57 ₡703

8.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.34 $28.34

$8.52 ₡3,823

232.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.52 ₡682

-30.92%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.08%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-24.01%

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

$321 $321

$96.3 ₡43.2K

233.57%

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

$55.5 $55.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

54.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 $85.0

$53.6 ₡24.0K

58.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$245 $245

$71.6 ₡32.1K

242.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$7.89 ₡3,539

86.44%

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

$1,868 $1,868

$494 ₡221.6K

277.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

155.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

3.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.65 $37.65

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$79.6 ₡35.7K

25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 $2,457

$788 ₡353.4K

211.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 $2,454

$794 ₡356.2K

208.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,393 $5,393

$3,939 ₡1.8M

36.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,043 $5,043

$1,419 ₡636.5K

255.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,090 $5,090

$864 ₡387.3K

489.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

8.62

-22.97%

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

Last update for Waltham, MA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 58.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 67.6% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waltham, MA

$462 11%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.8% $276

Groceries & Markets

Waltham, MA

$457 10.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 23% $105

Eating Out

Waltham, MA

$360 8.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 41.2% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Waltham, MA

$275 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 68.2% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Waltham, MA

$123 2.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Waltham, MA

$70 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 23.9% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,457 in Waltham, MA versus $788 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 489% higher in Waltham, MA, 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 Waltham, MA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

2 h behind Waltham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,636

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Waltham, MA Nosara 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waltham, MA
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

Waltham, MA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,201 in Waltham, MA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 128% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,302 per month in Waltham, MA and $2,758 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 23% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,868 per month in Waltham, MA and $494 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 $1,839, than in Waltham, MA at $4,201. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waltham, MA 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $4,201 in Waltham, MA. 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, Waltham, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.