Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Casa Grande, AZ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,570 in Casa Grande, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Casa Grande, AZ
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Casa Grande, AZ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Casa Grande, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,570

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,570 per month in Casa Grande, AZ vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Casa Grande, AZ $2,570
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,734 per month in Casa Grande, AZ vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Casa Grande, AZ $3,734
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,897 per month in Casa Grande, AZ vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Casa Grande, AZ $4,897
Nosara $3,818

Casa Grande, AZ costs about 40% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Casa Grande, AZ and Nosara sit above the global median – Casa Grande, AZ by 90%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.63 $18.63

$12.35 ₡5,556

50.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$61.2 ₡27.5K

21.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 $11.02

$7.52 ₡3,383

46.54%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$4.41 ₡1,984

12.02%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.74 ₡782

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.31 ₡589

48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.28 ₡1,475

79.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$4.47 ₡2,010

57.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.56 ₡703

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.02 ₡1,359

19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.51 ₡1,129

72.91%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$3.57 ₡1,608

17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$7.43 ₡3,344

62.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 $11.38

$10.52 ₡4,732

8.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.73 $15.73

$13.97 ₡6,284

12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.35 ₡1,055

103.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.61 ₡722

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$4.80 ₡2,159

-13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.61 ₡726

194.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.80 ₡1,708

-26.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.69 ₡1,662

-21.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.13 ₡508

78.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.66 ₡1,195

-19.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.80 $9.80

$5.18 ₡2,328

89.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 $14.20

$19.88 ₡8,944

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.90 ₡1,304

-36.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.63 ₡1,631

-6.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡506

80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.14 ₡961

64.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.57 ₡706

2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.96 $28.96

$8.52 ₡3,835

239.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.52 ₡684

-41.45%

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

$29.0K $29.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

34.30%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-27.04%

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

$189 $189

$96.3 ₡43.3K

96.70%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

45.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 $67.3

$53.6 ₡24.1K

25.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 $42.23

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-41.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.69 $13.69

$7.89 ₡3,550

73.51%

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

$1,318 $1,318

$494 ₡222.3K

166.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

94.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$53.9 ₡24.3K

-6.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 $39.84

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-28.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 $87.6

$77.9 ₡35.1K

12.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$79.6 ₡35.8K

38.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$788 ₡354.5K

105.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 $1,353

$794 ₡357.3K

70.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,641 $2,641

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,197 $2,197

$1,419 ₡638.4K

54.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 $2,822

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-59.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 $2,448

$1,224 ₡550.7K

100.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Casa Grande, AZ: 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

Casa Grande, AZ

$1.4K 52.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 41.3% $558

Groceries & Markets

Casa Grande, AZ

$386 15%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Casa Grande, AZ

$309 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.9% $123

Eating Out

Casa Grande, AZ

$303 11.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Casa Grande, AZ

$130 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.4% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Casa Grande, AZ

$70 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.5% $18

Getting Around

Casa Grande, AZ

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 344% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,618 in Casa Grande, AZ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Casa Grande, AZ versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Casa Grande, AZ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

1 h ahead of Casa Grande, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,316

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Casa Grande, AZ Nosara 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Casa Grande, AZ
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

Casa Grande, AZ vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,570 in Casa Grande, AZ, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,855 per month in Casa Grande, AZ 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 $2,570 in Casa Grande, AZ and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $1,318 per month in Casa Grande, AZ 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 Casa Grande, AZ at $2,570. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Casa Grande, AZ 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 $2,570 in Casa Grande, AZ. 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, Casa Grande, AZ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.