Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,057

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,057 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $2,057
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,104 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $3,104
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $4,150
Nosara $3,818

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

Both Brownsville, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – Brownsville, TX by 52%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$12.35 ₡5,539

60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

20.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 $11.31

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.40%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.41 ₡1,978

24.04%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$1.74 ₡780

55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.31 ₡587

50.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.28 ₡1,471

84.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$4.47 ₡2,004

63.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.56 ₡701

-42.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.02 ₡1,355

-27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.51 ₡1,125

70.12%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$3.57 ₡1,603

-20.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 $9.46

$7.43 ₡3,333

27.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$10.52 ₡4,717

11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 $16.61

$13.97 ₡6,265

18.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.35 ₡1,052

108.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$4.80 ₡2,152

-10.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.61 ₡724

194.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.80 ₡1,703

-26.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-18.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.13 ₡507

84.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.66 ₡1,191

-16.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 $9.05

$5.18 ₡2,321

74.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 $14.57

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.90 ₡1,300

-28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.63 ₡1,626

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ₡504

58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.14 ₡958

37.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.57 ₡703

8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 $32.81

$8.52 ₡3,823

285.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.52 ₡682

-44.08%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

43.88%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-28.17%

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

$201 $201

$96.3 ₡43.2K

108.74%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

107.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.8 $77.8

$53.6 ₡24.0K

45.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 $41.21

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$7.89 ₡3,539

84.41%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$494 ₡221.6K

183.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

88.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 $38.23

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

11.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$79.6 ₡35.7K

37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$788 ₡353.4K

21.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$794 ₡356.2K

0.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-57.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 $1,396

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-1.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 $1,858

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-73.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$1,224 ₡549.0K

48.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,198 $3,198

$864 ₡387.3K

270.31%

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 Brownsville, TX: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brownsville, TX

$796 38.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0.2% $2

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$366 17.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$353 17.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 47.4% $167

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$322 15.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 34.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$131 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$70 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 24.2% $17

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$19 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 368% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Brownsville, TX 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 270% higher in Brownsville, TX, 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 Brownsville, TX versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

00:47 12:47 AM

1 h behind Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Brownsville, TX Nosara 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brownsville, TX
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

Brownsville, TX vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,086 per month in Brownsville, TX 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $1,400 per month in Brownsville, TX and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Brownsville, TX at $2,057. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brownsville, TX 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 $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. 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, Brownsville, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.