Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, MI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,670 in Washington, MI, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Washington, MI
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Washington, MI Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Washington, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,670

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,670 per month in Washington, MI vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Washington, MI $2,670
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,758 per month in Washington, MI vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Washington, MI $3,758
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,846 per month in Washington, MI vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Washington, MI $4,846
Nosara $3,818

Washington, MI costs about 45% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Washington, MI and Nosara sit above the global median – Washington, MI by 98%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 $17.75

$12.35 ₡5,539

43.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.50 $45.50

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-25.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 $9.26

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.14%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$4.41 ₡1,978

29.48%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.74 ₡780

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.31 ₡587

51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.28 ₡1,471

80.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$4.47 ₡2,004

75.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.56 ₡701

-54.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.02 ₡1,355

11.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.51 ₡1,125

79.68%

Eggs

$1.53 $1.53

$3.57 ₡1,603

-57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 $13.59

$7.43 ₡3,333

82.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$10.52 ₡4,717

16.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 $19.82

$13.97 ₡6,265

41.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.35 ₡1,052

112.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.61 ₡720

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.80 ₡2,152

-15.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.61 ₡724

147.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.80 ₡1,703

-25.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.69 ₡1,657

-13.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.13 ₡507

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.66 ₡1,191

-23.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 $9.98

$5.18 ₡2,321

92.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-24.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.90 ₡1,300

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.63 ₡1,626

1.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.12 ₡504

67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.14 ₡958

31.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.57 ₡703

-3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.20 $26.20

$8.52 ₡3,823

207.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.52 ₡682

-31.58%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.05%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-25.06%

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

$221 $221

$96.3 ₡43.2K

129.62%

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

$64.8 $64.8

$35.89 ₡16.1K

80.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

38.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.16 $42.16

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-41.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 $9.88

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.22%

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

$1,096 $1,096

$494 ₡221.6K

121.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K $18.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

55.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 $62.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

15.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.03 $39.03

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$79.6 ₡35.7K

46.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 $1,819

$788 ₡353.4K

130.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 $1,392

$794 ₡356.2K

75.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-34.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 $2,209

$1,419 ₡636.5K

55.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,364 $2,364

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-65.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,703 $2,703

$1,224 ₡549.0K

120.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,976 $5,976

$864 ₡387.3K

592.02%

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 Washington, MI: 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

Washington, MI

$1.4K 52.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 42.9% $598

Groceries & Markets

Washington, MI

$395 14.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Washington, MI

$360 13.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 48.4% $174

Eating Out

Washington, MI

$300 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Washington, MI

$143 5.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 16.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Washington, MI

$62 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.1% $25

Getting Around

Washington, MI

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 387% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,819 in Washington, MI 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 592% higher in Washington, MI, 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 $45.00 in Washington, MI versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $395 in Washington, MI vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Washington, MI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

2 h behind Washington, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Washington, MI Nosara 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Washington, MI
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

Washington, MI vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,670 in Washington, MI, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,005 per month in Washington, MI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Washington, MI 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 12% more in Washington, MI, 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 $1,839, than in Washington, MI at $2,670. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Washington, MI 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 $2,670 in Washington, MI. 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, Washington, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.