Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
Nosara $3,712

Cancun is about 22% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cancun and Nosara sit above the global median – Cancun by 7%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$205

$12.22 ₡5,509

-8.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$1,003

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-9.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$208

$7.54 ₡3,399

49.87%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.0

$4.31 ₡1,941

-10.44%

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

$1.38 MX$25.26

$1.72 ₡773

-19.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.76

$1.35 ₡608

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.5

$3.24 ₡1,459

-4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.9

$4.48 ₡2,018

-2.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.94

$1.57 ₡707

3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.81

$3.17 ₡1,429

-14.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.27

$2.42 ₡1,091

-31.82%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$50.0

$3.57 ₡1,609

-23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$182

$7.43 ₡3,349

33.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$162

$10.42 ₡4,697

-15.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$255

$13.66 ₡6,156

1.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$52.0

$2.32 ₡1,044

21.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.66

$1.61 ₡728

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.7

$4.74 ₡2,138

-32.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.74

$1.66 ₡747

30.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.27

$3.72 ₡1,679

-45.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.95

$3.57 ₡1,611

-46.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.12

$1.10 ₡497

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.47

$2.55 ₡1,149

-52.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.8

$4.95 ₡2,232

-8.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$184

$20.01 ₡9,020

-49.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.61

$2.79 ₡1,256

-44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$50.1

$3.53 ₡1,589

-22.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.82

$1.19 ₡537

-46.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$526

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-60.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$82.5

$2.24 ₡1,011

100.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.7

$1.55 ₡701

92.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$250

$8.86 ₡3,993

53.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.84

$1.57 ₡708

-3.18%

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

$21.0K MX$385.8K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-3.63%

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

$24.5K MX$449.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-29.29%

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

$172 MX$3,166

$93.5 ₡42.1K

84.54%

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

$23.50 MX$431

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-33.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$697

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-26.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$616

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-52.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$248

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-61.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$135

$7.84 ₡3,535

-6.51%

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

$205 MX$3,760

$490 ₡220.7K

-58.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$100.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-53.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,008

$53.5 ₡24.1K

2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$1,005

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-1.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,412

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,732

$78.9 ₡35.6K

19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.3K

$786 ₡354.3K

-14.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,518

$780 ₡351.6K

-40.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.2K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-64.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.7K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-23.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.5K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-81.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.4K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

65.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$15.0K

$876 ₡395.0K

-6.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.62

32.83%

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

Last update for Cancun: 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

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 68.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 21.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 23% $54

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 3.5% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 4.8% $6

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 71.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 80.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun 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.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Nosara, 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 $55.0 in Cancun versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $350 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

1 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

4,912

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun Nosara 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,428 in Cancun, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun 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 Cancun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $1,428 in Cancun to $1,837 in Nosara. 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 Cancun. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.