Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, LA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,032 in Alexandria, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, LA
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Alexandria, LA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alexandria, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,032

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,032 in Alexandria, LA versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Alexandria, LA $2,032
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,888 in Alexandria, LA versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Alexandria, LA $2,888
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,745 in Alexandria, LA versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Alexandria, LA $3,745
Nosara $3,712

Living in Alexandria, LA is roughly 11% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, LA 52% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.26 $16.26

$12.22 ₡5,509

33.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-13.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.54 ₡3,399

33.55%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$4.31 ₡1,941

23.90%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.72 ₡773

41.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.35 ₡608

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.24 ₡1,459

86.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.48 ₡2,018

80.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.57 ₡707

-14.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.17 ₡1,429

-47.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.42 ₡1,091

149.17%

Eggs

$5.47 $5.47

$3.57 ₡1,609

53.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$7.43 ₡3,349

16.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$10.42 ₡4,697

-35.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$13.66 ₡6,156

14.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.32 ₡1,044

125.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.61 ₡728

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$4.74 ₡2,138

13.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$1.66 ₡747

243.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.72 ₡1,679

15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.57 ₡1,611

-37.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.10 ₡497

104.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.55 ₡1,149

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.20 $9.20

$4.95 ₡2,232

85.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 $16.54

$20.01 ₡9,020

-17.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.79 ₡1,256

-7.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.53 ₡1,589

13.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.24 ₡1,011

52.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.55 ₡701

-1.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 $35.07

$8.86 ₡3,993

295.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.57 ₡708

-56.69%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

66.08%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-27.19%

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

$185 $185

$93.5 ₡42.1K

98.19%

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

$71.5 $71.5

$35.11 ₡15.8K

103.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$51.5 ₡23.2K

40.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$7.84 ₡3,535

60.59%

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

$1,591 $1,591

$490 ₡220.7K

224.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K $10.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-13.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 $57.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

7.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.39 $43.39

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-22.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$79.3 ₡35.7K

10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$78.9 ₡35.6K

50.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 $919

$786 ₡354.3K

16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 $898

$780 ₡351.6K

15.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 $1,428

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-63.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 $1,291

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-8.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,276 $1,276

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-81.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,277 $1,277

$1,201 ₡541.3K

6.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,947 $2,947

$876 ₡395.0K

236.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

8.62

-22.74%

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

Last update for Alexandria, LA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, LA

$898 43.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 13.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, LA

$378 18.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 7.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, LA

$329 15.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 45.3% $149

Eating Out

Alexandria, LA

$289 14%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 27.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, LA

$139 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 13.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, LA

$25 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 246% $62

Getting Around

Alexandria, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 688% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $919 in Alexandria, LA and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, LA pays 236% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Alexandria, LA vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $378 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, LA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h behind Alexandria, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alexandria, LA Nosara 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, LA
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

Alexandria, LA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 236% higher in Alexandria, LA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $919 in Alexandria, LA versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Alexandria, LA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,032 per month in Alexandria, LA versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,032 in Alexandria, LA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Alexandria, LA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Alexandria, LA and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Alexandria, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.