Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Watertown, SD and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,518 in Watertown, SD, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Watertown, SD
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Watertown, SD Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Watertown, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,518

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Watertown, SD vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Watertown, SD $2,518
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,595 per month in Watertown, SD vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Watertown, SD $3,595
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,672 per month in Watertown, SD vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Watertown, SD $4,672
Nosara $3,818

Watertown, SD costs about 37% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Watertown, SD and Nosara sit above the global median – Watertown, SD by 87%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.56 $15.56

$12.35 ₡5,539

25.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-1.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.52 ₡3,373

33.91%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$4.41 ₡1,978

15.65%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.74 ₡780

74.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.31 ₡587

51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

82.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 $7.54

$4.47 ₡2,004

68.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.56 ₡701

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.02 ₡1,355

30.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.51 ₡1,125

36.25%

Eggs

$3.01 $3.01

$3.57 ₡1,603

-15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$7.43 ₡3,333

28.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 $9.35

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.35 ₡1,052

112.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.61 ₡720

-27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.80 ₡2,152

28.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.61 ₡724

208.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$3.80 ₡1,703

-1.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.69 ₡1,657

-6.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.13 ₡507

76.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.66 ₡1,191

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.58 $8.58

$5.18 ₡2,321

65.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$19.88 ₡8,916

-25.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.63 ₡1,626

-1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.12 ₡504

91.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.14 ₡958

14.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.57 ₡703

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.63 $30.63

$8.52 ₡3,823

259.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.52 ₡682

-32.24%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.46%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.94%

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

$227 $227

$96.3 ₡43.2K

136.00%

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

$50.9 $50.9

$35.89 ₡16.1K

41.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.6 $65.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

22.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.28 $44.28

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-38.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 $12.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

62.23%

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

$1,457 $1,457

$494 ₡221.6K

194.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K $28.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

138.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.14 $42.14

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.06 $40.06

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-27.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$79.6 ₡35.7K

40.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 $1,583

$788 ₡353.4K

100.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 $1,320

$794 ₡356.2K

66.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,540 $2,540

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$1,419 ₡636.5K

50.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,961 $2,961

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-57.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,634 $2,634

$1,224 ₡549.0K

115.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

8.62

-26.80%

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

Last update for Watertown, SD: 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

Watertown, SD

$1.3K 52.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 39.8% $525

Groceries & Markets

Watertown, SD

$363 14.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Watertown, SD

$344 13.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 46% $158

Eating Out

Watertown, SD

$281 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 24.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Watertown, SD

$123 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Watertown, SD

$70 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25% $17

Getting Around

Watertown, SD

$19 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 360% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,583 in Watertown, SD 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Watertown, SD versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Watertown, SD vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Watertown, SD

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

1 h behind Watertown, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,915

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Watertown, SD Nosara 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Watertown, SD
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

Watertown, SD vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,518 in Watertown, SD, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Watertown, SD 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 $60.0 in Watertown, SD 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 3% more in Watertown, SD, 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 Watertown, SD at $2,518. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Watertown, SD 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 $2,518 in Watertown, SD. 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, Watertown, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.