Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlsbad, NM and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,199 in Carlsbad, NM, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Carlsbad, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,199

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,199 per month in Carlsbad, NM vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Carlsbad, NM $2,199
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Carlsbad, NM vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Carlsbad, NM $3,149
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,099 per month in Carlsbad, NM vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Carlsbad, NM $4,099
Nosara $3,790

Carlsbad, NM costs about 19% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Carlsbad, NM and Nosara sit above the global median – Carlsbad, NM by 63%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 $17.79

$12.38 ₡5,568

43.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.14 $45.14

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-25.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 $11.76

$7.81 ₡3,513

50.58%

Cappuccino

$5.86 $5.86

$4.37 ₡1,966

34.10%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$1.78 ₡800

-14.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.35 ₡605

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.39 ₡1,526

43.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.31 ₡1,939

60.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.55 ₡699

-48.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.17 ₡1,425

10.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.51 ₡1,130

43.82%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$3.53 ₡1,585

31.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$7.37 ₡3,313

81.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 $12.12

$10.46 ₡4,703

15.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$13.91 ₡6,255

27.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.26 ₡1,018

88.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.56 ₡701

30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$4.70 ₡2,113

-24.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.62 ₡729

140.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.88 ₡1,746

-40.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$3.79 ₡1,704

-36.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.07 ₡481

67.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.61 ₡1,174

-27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 $10.95

$5.16 ₡2,319

112.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$20.33 ₡9,143

-25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.91 ₡1,310

-15.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.67 ₡1,651

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡588

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.19 ₡984

7.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.84 ₡829

30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,513

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.56 ₡702

-41.67%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-16.62%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-35.94%

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

$172 $172

$95.9 ₡43.1K

79.05%

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

$57.7 $57.7

$35.37 ₡15.9K

62.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$53.7 ₡24.1K

40.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.58 $41.58

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-38.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 $10.12

$7.72 ₡3,473

31.09%

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

$663 $663

$496 ₡222.8K

33.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,636 $6,636

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-44.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 $58.1

$54.6 ₡24.6K

6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.94 $31.94

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-41.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 $83.9

$79.8 ₡35.9K

5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$77.9 ₡35.0K

30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 $1,225

$817 ₡367.5K

49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 $1,009

$800 ₡359.7K

26.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 $1,975

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-49.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$1,396 ₡627.6K

13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 $2,002

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-71.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,003 $2,003

$1,222 ₡549.6K

63.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,106 $4,106

$879 ₡395.3K

367.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.61

8.62

-34.92%

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

Last update for Carlsbad, NM: October 31, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlsbad, NM

$1K 45.9%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 20.7% $209

Groceries & Markets

Carlsbad, NM

$388 17.7%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 9.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlsbad, NM

$305 13.9%

Nosara

$185 10% 39.3% $120

Eating Out

Carlsbad, NM

$297 13.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 28.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Carlsbad, NM

$124 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Carlsbad, NM

$62 2.8%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 34.1% $21

Getting Around

Carlsbad, NM

$14 * 0.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 527% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,225 in Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad, NM are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Carlsbad, NM versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $388 in Carlsbad, NM vs $353 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Carlsbad, NM

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

1 h ahead of Carlsbad, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,746

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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Highest

Between locations

Carlsbad, NM Nosara 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Carlsbad, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,199 in Carlsbad, NM, $1,844 in Nosara – Nosara comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,298 per month in Carlsbad, 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 $1,225 in Carlsbad, NM.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Carlsbad, NM and $61 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 Carlsbad, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,199 in Carlsbad, 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, Carlsbad, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.