Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zion, IL and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,457 in Zion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Zion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,457

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,457 per month in Zion, IL vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Zion, IL $2,457
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,578 per month in Zion, IL vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Zion, IL $3,578
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,698 per month in Zion, IL vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Zion, IL $4,698
Nosara $3,712

Zion, IL costs about 34% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zion, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Zion, IL by 83%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 $14.90

$12.22 ₡5,509

21.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 $61.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

2.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 $8.14

$7.54 ₡3,399

7.96%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$4.31 ₡1,941

25.29%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.72 ₡773

24.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.35 ₡608

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.24 ₡1,459

71.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.48 ₡2,018

12.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.57 ₡707

-36.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.17 ₡1,429

-23.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.42 ₡1,091

70.66%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$3.57 ₡1,609

10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$7.43 ₡3,349

65.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$10.42 ₡4,697

47.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 $16.44

$13.66 ₡6,156

20.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.32 ₡1,044

156.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.61 ₡728

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$4.74 ₡2,138

-3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.66 ₡747

151.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.72 ₡1,679

-12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.57 ₡1,611

-24.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.10 ₡497

78.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.55 ₡1,149

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$4.95 ₡2,232

143.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.54 $14.54

$20.01 ₡9,020

-27.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.79 ₡1,256

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.53 ₡1,589

16.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.19 ₡537

53.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.24 ₡1,011

139.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.55 ₡701

87.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 $17.47

$8.86 ₡3,993

97.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.57 ₡708

-29.94%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

66.94%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-22.06%

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

$223 $223

$93.5 ₡42.1K

139.05%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

49.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$51.5 ₡23.2K

28.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.48 $47.48

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-33.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 $11.18

$7.84 ₡3,535

42.60%

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

$1,118 $1,118

$490 ₡220.7K

128.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

4.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.12 $47.12

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-11.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.77 $24.77

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-55.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.5 $57.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-27.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.6 $50.6

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-35.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 $1,698

$786 ₡354.3K

116.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 $1,468

$780 ₡351.6K

88.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-31.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$1,407 ₡634.4K

41.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,672 $2,672

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-61.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 $2,051

$1,201 ₡541.3K

70.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

8.62

-20.88%

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

Last update for Zion, IL: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zion, IL

$1.5K 55.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 46.9% $688

Groceries & Markets

Zion, IL

$414 15.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 15.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zion, IL

$342 12.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 47.3% $162

Eating Out

Zion, IL

$259 9.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 19.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Zion, IL

$81 3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 48.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Zion, IL

$70 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

Zion, IL

$27 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 219% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,698 in Zion, IL versus $786 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 $62.0 in Zion, IL versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Zion, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

1 h behind Zion, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,655

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zion, IL Nosara 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Zion, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,457 in Zion, IL, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,686 per month in Zion, IL and $2,756 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 $62.0 in Zion, IL and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Zion, 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 $1,837, than in Zion, IL at $2,457. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zion, 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,457 in Zion, 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, Zion, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.