Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, DE and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,849 in Wilmington, DE, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, DE
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Wilmington, DE Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Wilmington, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,849

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,849 per month in Wilmington, DE vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Wilmington, DE $2,849
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,941 per month in Wilmington, DE vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Wilmington, DE $3,941
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,033 per month in Wilmington, DE vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Wilmington, DE $5,033
Nosara $3,814

Wilmington, DE costs about 55% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wilmington, DE and Nosara sit above the global median – Wilmington, DE by 110%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$12.34 ₡5,535

60.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

21.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$7.76 ₡3,481

29.90%

Cappuccino

$4.68 $4.68

$4.44 ₡1,992

5.41%

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

$2.27 $2.27

$1.79 ₡803

26.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.29 ₡580

4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.24 ₡1,451

21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.55 ₡696

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.08 ₡1,380

-4.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.53 ₡1,133

5.14%

Eggs

$2.98 $2.98

$3.45 ₡1,546

-13.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$7.32 ₡3,284

28.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 $8.37

$10.24 ₡4,594

-18.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$14.10 ₡6,326

5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.29 ₡1,027

103.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.64 ₡737

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.79 ₡2,149

-7.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.64 ₡735

142.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.85 ₡1,727

-34.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.75 ₡1,681

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.09 ₡488

96.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.59 ₡1,160

-60.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$5.12 ₡2,295

98.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 $12.75

$19.92 ₡8,931

-35.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.80 ₡1,255

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.52 ₡1,580

5.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.22 ₡549

31.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.8 $58.8

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-20.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.17 ₡973

127.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.56 ₡698

-28.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.11 $23.11

$8.67 ₡3,886

166.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 ₡697

-33.55%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-22.41%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.45%

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

$270 $270

$94.8 ₡42.5K

184.57%

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

$49.59 $49.59

$36.15 ₡16.2K

37.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$53.1 ₡23.8K

13.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 $33.09

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-55.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.26 $15.26

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-57.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 $12.07

$7.91 ₡3,548

52.59%

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

$1,595 $1,595

$490 ₡219.9K

225.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.3K $27.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

129.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.36 $37.36

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-31.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.68 $46.68

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 $82.5

$80.4 ₡36.0K

2.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 $91.8

$77.9 ₡34.9K

17.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,875 $1,875

$801 ₡359.1K

134.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 $1,603

$790 ₡354.1K

103.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,940 $2,940

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,409 ₡632.0K

66.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,592 $2,592

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-63.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,329 $2,329

$1,236 ₡554.3K

88.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,947 $3,947

$887 ₡397.6K

345.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

8.62

-26.91%

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

Last update for Wilmington, DE: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilmington, DE

$1.6K 56.3%

Nosara

$790 43% 50.7% $813

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, DE

$380 13.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 51.6% $196

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, DE

$326 11.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 7.3% $24

Eating Out

Wilmington, DE

$291 10.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 26.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, DE

$116 4.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 4.1% $4.8

Getting Around

Wilmington, DE

$76 2.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 17.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, DE

$57 2%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 56.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,875 in Wilmington, DE 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 345% higher in Wilmington, DE, 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 $75.0 in Wilmington, DE versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $326 in Wilmington, DE vs $350 in Nosara – so Wilmington, DE wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, DE

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

2 h behind Wilmington, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wilmington, DE Nosara 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, DE
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

Wilmington, DE vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,849 in Wilmington, DE, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,273 per month in Wilmington, DE 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.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,595 per month in Wilmington, DE and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Wilmington, DE at $2,849. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wilmington, DE 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 $2,849 in Wilmington, DE. 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, Wilmington, DE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.