Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, TN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,061 in Athens, TN, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Athens, TN
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Athens, TN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Athens, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,061

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,061 per month in Athens, TN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Athens, TN $2,061
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,191 per month in Athens, TN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Athens, TN $3,191
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,320 per month in Athens, TN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Athens, TN $4,320
Nosara $3,814

Athens, TN costs about 12% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Athens, TN and Nosara sit above the global median – Athens, TN by 52%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.18 $30.18

$12.34 ₡5,535

144.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$61.3 ₡27.5K

77.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 $11.76

$7.76 ₡3,481

51.55%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$4.44 ₡1,992

27.03%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$1.79 ₡803

50.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.29 ₡580

62.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.24 ₡1,451

110.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$4.43 ₡1,985

77.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.55 ₡696

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.08 ₡1,380

-16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.53 ₡1,133

35.57%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$3.45 ₡1,546

40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 $13.56

$7.32 ₡3,284

85.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$10.24 ₡4,594

-37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.74 $19.74

$14.10 ₡6,326

40.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.29 ₡1,027

159.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.64 ₡737

-10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.79 ₡2,149

26.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.64 ₡735

218.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.85 ₡1,727

-3.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$3.75 ₡1,681

-29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.09 ₡488

106.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.59 ₡1,160

-35.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.98 $6.98

$5.12 ₡2,295

36.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$19.92 ₡8,931

-25.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.80 ₡1,255

-31.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.52 ₡1,580

39.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.22 ₡549

88.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.17 ₡973

62.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.56 ₡698

-6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.41 $24.41

$8.67 ₡3,886

181.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.55 ₡697

-40.00%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

6.56%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.96%

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

$219 $219

$94.8 ₡42.5K

131.42%

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

$70.0 $70.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

93.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 $56.0

$53.1 ₡23.8K

5.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.44 $45.44

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-38.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 $7.88

$7.91 ₡3,548

-0.38%

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

$1,820 $1,820

$490 ₡219.9K

271.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

87.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-2.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.57 $45.57

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-18.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 $96.8

$80.4 ₡36.0K

20.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 $855

$801 ₡359.1K

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 $701

$790 ₡354.1K

-11.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-63.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-18.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 $2,706

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,409 $2,409

$1,236 ₡554.3K

94.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,472 $8,472

$887 ₡397.6K

855.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

8.62

-24.13%

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

Last update for Athens, TN: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens, TN

$701 34%

Nosara

$790 43% 12.7% $89

Eating Out

Athens, TN

$413 20.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 48.6% $201

Groceries & Markets

Athens, TN

$383 18.6%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 8.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, TN

$345 16.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 46.7% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, TN

$137 6.7%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 12% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, TN

$61 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 46.4% $28

Getting Around

Athens, TN

$20 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 344% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $855 in Athens, TN 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 856% higher in Athens, TN, 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 $109 in Athens, TN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, TN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

2 h behind Athens, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

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

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Between locations

Athens, TN Nosara 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens, TN
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

Athens, TN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens, TN costs about 12% 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 $3,092 per month in Athens, TN 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Athens, TN 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 10% more in Athens, TN, 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 $1,835, than in Athens, TN at $2,061. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,061 in Athens, TN. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Athens, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.