Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albuquerque, NM and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,253 in Albuquerque, NM, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Albuquerque, NM
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Albuquerque, NM Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Albuquerque, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,253

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,253 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $2,253
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,296 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $3,296
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,339 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $4,339
Nosara $3,790

Albuquerque, NM costs about 22% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Albuquerque, NM and Nosara sit above the global median – Albuquerque, NM by 67%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 $16.94

$12.38 ₡5,568

36.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-1.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$7.81 ₡3,513

29.07%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$4.37 ₡1,966

13.73%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.78 ₡800

66.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.35 ₡605

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.39 ₡1,526

75.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.31 ₡1,939

89.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡699

-36.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.17 ₡1,425

3.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.51 ₡1,130

76.49%

Eggs

$4.92 $4.92

$3.53 ₡1,585

39.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$7.37 ₡3,313

58.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 $9.31

$10.46 ₡4,703

-10.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 $20.04

$13.91 ₡6,255

44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.26 ₡1,018

109.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.56 ₡701

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.70 ₡2,113

-10.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.62 ₡729

230.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$3.88 ₡1,746

-20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.79 ₡1,704

-15.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.07 ₡481

85.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.61 ₡1,174

6.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 $10.85

$5.16 ₡2,319

110.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.80 $13.80

$20.33 ₡9,143

-32.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.91 ₡1,310

-13.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.67 ₡1,651

-4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.19 ₡984

75.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.84 ₡829

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.55 $34.55

$7.81 ₡3,513

342.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.56 ₡702

-31.41%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-10.06%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-33.55%

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

$155 $155

$95.9 ₡43.1K

61.63%

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

$64.0 $64.0

$35.37 ₡15.9K

80.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$53.7 ₡24.1K

32.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.87 $39.87

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-40.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.96 $13.96

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-60.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 $13.19

$7.72 ₡3,473

70.85%

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

$1,330 $1,330

$496 ₡222.8K

168.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

92.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.42 $44.42

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-19.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$79.8 ₡35.9K

32.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$77.9 ₡35.0K

53.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 $1,472

$817 ₡367.5K

80.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 $1,041

$800 ₡359.7K

30.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,582 $2,582

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 $1,677

$1,396 ₡627.6K

20.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 $2,712

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-61.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,095 $2,095

$1,222 ₡549.6K

71.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,829 $3,829

$879 ₡395.3K

335.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

8.62

-21.58%

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

Last update for Albuquerque, NM: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albuquerque, NM

$1K 46.2%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 23.2% $241

Groceries & Markets

Albuquerque, NM

$402 17.9%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 12.4% $50

Eating Out

Albuquerque, NM

$293 13%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 27.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albuquerque, NM

$290 12.9%

Nosara

$185 10% 36.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Albuquerque, NM

$145 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Albuquerque, NM

$66 2.9%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Albuquerque, NM

$14 * 0.6%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 522% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,472 in Albuquerque, NM versus $817 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 in Albuquerque, NM are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Albuquerque, NM versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $402 in Albuquerque, NM vs $353 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albuquerque, NM

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

1 h ahead of Albuquerque, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

564,559

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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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Between locations

Albuquerque, NM Nosara 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Albuquerque, NM
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

Albuquerque, NM vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albuquerque, NM costs about 22% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,379 per month in Albuquerque, NM and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,472 in Albuquerque, NM.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,253 in Albuquerque, NM and $1,844 in Nosara. That makes Nosara about 18% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Albuquerque, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,253 in Albuquerque, NM and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Albuquerque, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.