Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukegan, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
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Waukegan, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,588 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $2,588
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,760 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $3,760
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Waukegan, IL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Waukegan, IL $4,931
Nosara $3,814

Waukegan, IL costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Waukegan, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Waukegan, IL by 91%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.80 $18.80

$12.34 ₡5,535

52.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$61.3 ₡27.5K

20.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 $11.09

$7.76 ₡3,481

42.91%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.51%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.79 ₡803

37.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.29 ₡580

51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.24 ₡1,451

88.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.43 ₡1,985

61.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 ₡696

-34.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.08 ₡1,380

11.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.53 ₡1,133

65.61%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$3.45 ₡1,546

17.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$7.32 ₡3,284

70.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$10.24 ₡4,594

12.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.10 ₡6,326

7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.29 ₡1,027

115.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.64 ₡737

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.79 ₡2,149

-13.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.64 ₡735

180.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.85 ₡1,727

-28.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.75 ₡1,681

-23.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.09 ₡488

85.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.59 ₡1,160

-19.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$5.12 ₡2,295

86.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 $13.83

$19.92 ₡8,931

-30.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.52 ₡1,580

-6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.22 ₡549

60.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.17 ₡973

62.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.56 ₡698

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$8.67 ₡3,886

233.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.55 ₡697

-41.29%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.90%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.94%

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

$188 $188

$94.8 ₡42.5K

98.60%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

43.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$53.1 ₡23.8K

24.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 $13.37

$7.91 ₡3,548

69.03%

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

$1,314 $1,314

$490 ₡219.9K

168.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

98.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-6.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

46.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$801 ₡359.1K

103.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$790 ₡354.1K

73.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 $2,587

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$1,409 ₡632.0K

58.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,798 $2,798

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,430 $2,430

$1,236 ₡554.3K

96.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Waukegan, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 42.5% $583

Groceries & Markets

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 8.3% $32

Eating Out

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 40% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 8.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 29.6% $20

Getting Around

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 360% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Waukegan, IL versus $801 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 $74.0 in Waukegan, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

22:46 10:46 PM

1 h behind Waukegan, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,321

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Highest

Between locations

Waukegan, IL Nosara 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waukegan, IL
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

Waukegan, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,882 per month in Waukegan, IL and $2,753 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 $74.0 in Waukegan, IL 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 9% more in Waukegan, IL, 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 $1,835, than in Waukegan, IL at $2,588. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waukegan, IL 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $2,588 in Waukegan, IL. 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, Waukegan, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.