Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterford, MI and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,403 in Waterford, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Waterford, MI
Learn more

Waterford, MI Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Waterford, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,403

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,403 per month in Waterford, MI vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Waterford, MI $2,403
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $3,641 per month in Waterford, MI vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Waterford, MI $3,641
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $4,879 per month in Waterford, MI vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Waterford, MI $4,879
Nosara $3,820

Waterford, MI costs about 30% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waterford, MI and Nosara sit above the global median – Waterford, MI by 77%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.36 $18.36

$12.36 ₡5,578

48.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$60.8 ₡27.4K

22.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 $9.35

$7.88 ₡3,558

18.65%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$4.40 ₡1,987

4.32%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$1.72 ₡776

63.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.34 ₡603

24.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.34 ₡1,506

77.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 $4.41

$4.54 ₡2,049

-2.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.64 ₡739

-48.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.16 ₡1,427

14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.39 ₡1,080

35.98%

Eggs

$2.03 $2.03

$3.47 ₡1,564

-41.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 $10.99

$7.13 ₡3,219

54.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$10.32 ₡4,657

34.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 $14.61

$13.97 ₡6,305

4.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.29 ₡1,032

113.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.62 ₡732

-33.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.81 ₡2,171

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.68 ₡758

168.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.91 ₡1,766

-44.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.63 ₡1,641

-0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.13 ₡510

97.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.63 ₡1,188

-7.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$5.02 ₡2,268

105.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$19.71 ₡8,897

-25.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.91 ₡1,315

-29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$3.54 ₡1,598

-29.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.21 ₡545

66.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-20.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.15 ₡970

114.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.63 ₡738

19.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.80 $31.80

$8.77 ₡3,960

262.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 ₡701

-31.61%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-19.54%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-32.34%

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

$132 $132

$95.2 ₡43.0K

38.91%

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

$49.02 $49.02

$36.29 ₡16.4K

35.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$52.0 ₡23.5K

38.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.91 $40.91

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-39.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.49 $13.49

$7.54 ₡3,405

78.91%

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

$893 $893

$496 ₡224.1K

79.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K $21.2K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

79.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 $64.1

$55.1 ₡24.9K

16.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.2 $77.2

$56.1 ₡25.3K

37.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 $97.1

$77.8 ₡35.1K

24.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$79.1 ₡35.7K

50.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$817 ₡369.0K

112.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$806 ₡363.8K

45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,452 $2,452

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-38.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 $2,092

$1,429 ₡645.2K

46.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,066 $3,066

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-56.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,352 $2,352

$1,197 ₡540.3K

96.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Waterford, MI: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterford, MI

$1.2K 48.7%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 31.1% $364

Groceries & Markets

Waterford, MI

$384 16%

Nosara

$351 19% 8.5% $33

Eating Out

Waterford, MI

$286 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterford, MI

$254 10.6%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 27.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Waterford, MI

$161 6.7%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 24.9% $40

Getting Around

Waterford, MI

$81 3.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 9.3% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Waterford, MI

$68 2.8%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 21.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,738 in Waterford, MI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Waterford, MI versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waterford, MI

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

2 h behind Waterford, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,517

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waterford, MI Nosara 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterford, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,403 in Waterford, MI, $1,846 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,605 per month in Waterford, MI and $2,769 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 $1,738 in Waterford, MI.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Waterford, MI. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $893 per month in Waterford, MI and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,403 in Waterford, MI and $1,846 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.