Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, MA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,930 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,930

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,930 per month in Worcester, MA vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Worcester, MA $2,930
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,087 per month in Worcester, MA vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Worcester, MA $4,087
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,243 per month in Worcester, MA vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Worcester, MA $5,243
Nosara $3,818

Worcester, MA costs about 59% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Worcester, MA and Nosara sit above the global median – Worcester, MA by 117%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.75 $22.75

$12.35 ₡5,539

84.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

20.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$7.52 ₡3,373

61.97%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$4.41 ₡1,978

15.65%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.74 ₡780

36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.31 ₡587

28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

82.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$4.47 ₡2,004

53.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.56 ₡701

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.02 ₡1,355

21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.51 ₡1,125

102.39%

Eggs

$3.80 $3.80

$3.57 ₡1,603

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$7.43 ₡3,333

156.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 $10.75

$10.52 ₡4,717

2.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 $20.37

$13.97 ₡6,265

45.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.35 ₡1,052

59.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.61 ₡720

-13.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$4.80 ₡2,152

-28.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.61 ₡724

201.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.80 ₡1,703

-21.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.69 ₡1,657

-9.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.13 ₡507

61.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.66 ₡1,191

-43.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 $13.04

$5.18 ₡2,321

151.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 $12.13

$19.88 ₡8,916

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.63 ₡1,626

-7.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.14 ₡958

128.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.57 ₡703

54.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.67 $35.67

$8.52 ₡3,823

318.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.52 ₡682

-28.29%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

60.27%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-28.71%

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

$190 $190

$96.3 ₡43.2K

97.52%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

56.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

15.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 $28.64

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-59.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.24 $30.24

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-13.38%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 $16.54

$7.89 ₡3,539

109.63%

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

$1,713 $1,713

$494 ₡221.6K

246.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.7K $43.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

268.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-10.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 $34.60

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

18.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$79.6 ₡35.7K

85.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$788 ₡353.4K

138.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$794 ₡356.2K

108.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,932 $2,932

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,376 $2,376

$1,419 ₡636.5K

67.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,867 $2,867

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-58.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$1,224 ₡549.0K

134.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,195 $4,195

$864 ₡387.3K

385.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

8.62

-26.57%

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

Last update for Worcester, MA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Worcester, MA

$1.7K 56.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 52% $862

Groceries & Markets

Worcester, MA

$402 13.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12.4% $50

Eating Out

Worcester, MA

$340 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester, MA

$308 10.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester, MA

$145 5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester, MA

$62 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 41.6% $26

Getting Around

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 413% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,877 in Worcester, MA 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.

Salaries run about 386% higher in Worcester, MA, 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 $74.0 in Worcester, MA versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

2 h behind Worcester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,518

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Worcester, MA Nosara 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Worcester, MA
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

Worcester, MA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,930 in Worcester, MA, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,395 per month in Worcester, MA 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 $74.0 in Worcester, MA 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 14% more in Worcester, MA, 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 Worcester, MA at $2,930. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Worcester, MA 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 $2,930 in Worcester, MA. 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, Worcester, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.