Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilkes-Barre, PA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Learn more

Wilkes-Barre, PA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,190

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,190 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $2,190
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $3,358
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $4,526
Nosara $3,814

Wilkes-Barre, PA costs about 19% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wilkes-Barre, PA and Nosara sit above the global median – Wilkes-Barre, PA by 62%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$12.34 ₡5,535

47.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 $49.37

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-19.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 $10.40

$7.76 ₡3,481

34.02%

Cappuccino

$3.91 $3.91

$4.44 ₡1,992

-11.94%

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

$0.99 $0.99

$1.79 ₡803

-44.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.29 ₡580

54.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.24 ₡1,451

111.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$4.43 ₡1,985

65.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡696

-41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.08 ₡1,380

5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.53 ₡1,133

73.12%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$3.45 ₡1,546

16.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$7.32 ₡3,284

47.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$10.24 ₡4,594

30.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$14.10 ₡6,326

25.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$2.29 ₡1,027

180.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.64 ₡737

-15.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$4.79 ₡2,149

12.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.64 ₡735

314.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.85 ₡1,727

-24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.75 ₡1,681

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.09 ₡488

172.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.59 ₡1,160

5.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.11 $15.11

$5.12 ₡2,295

195.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.80 ₡1,255

9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.52 ₡1,580

33.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.22 ₡549

20.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.17 ₡973

76.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.56 ₡698

40.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$8.67 ₡3,886

244.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡697

-29.03%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-10.43%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.71%

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

$238 $238

$94.8 ₡42.5K

151.01%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$36.15 ₡16.2K

58.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

39.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 $49.49

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-32.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$7.91 ₡3,548

86.47%

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

$1,732 $1,732

$490 ₡219.9K

253.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-0.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.05 $48.05

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-14.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$80.4 ₡36.0K

19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$77.9 ₡34.9K

59.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 $1,253

$801 ₡359.1K

56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 $852

$790 ₡354.1K

7.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 $1,736

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-56.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 $1,752

$1,409 ₡632.0K

24.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$887 ₡397.6K

384.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Wilkes-Barre, PA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$852 38.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 7.4% $63

Groceries & Markets

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$439 20%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 20.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$370 16.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.2% $186

Eating Out

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$284 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 25.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$145 6.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 16.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$79 3.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 13.5% $11

Getting Around

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$21 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 329% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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.

Salaries run about 385% higher in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 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 $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $439 in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

2 h behind Wilkes-Barre, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,288

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Wilkes-Barre, PA Nosara 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilkes-Barre, PA
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

Wilkes-Barre, PA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,285 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 25% more in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA at $2,190. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. 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, Wilkes-Barre, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.