Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chattanooga, TN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,611 in Chattanooga, TN, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Chattanooga, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,611

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,611 per month in Chattanooga, TN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Chattanooga, TN $2,611
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,850 per month in Chattanooga, TN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Chattanooga, TN $3,850
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $5,089 per month in Chattanooga, TN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Chattanooga, TN $5,089
Nosara $3,814

Chattanooga, TN costs about 42% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chattanooga, TN and Nosara sit above the global median – Chattanooga, TN by 93%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$12.34 ₡5,535

59.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 $99.2

$61.3 ₡27.5K

61.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 $11.15

$7.76 ₡3,481

43.69%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.44 ₡1,992

20.50%

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

$2.34 $2.34

$1.79 ₡803

30.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.29 ₡580

61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

89.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 $7.49

$4.43 ₡1,985

69.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.55 ₡696

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.08 ₡1,380

16.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.53 ₡1,133

57.31%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$3.45 ₡1,546

21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 $14.24

$7.32 ₡3,284

94.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$10.24 ₡4,594

45.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$14.10 ₡6,326

-4.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$2.29 ₡1,027

179.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.64 ₡737

1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$4.79 ₡2,149

-11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.64 ₡735

159.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$3.85 ₡1,727

-28.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.75 ₡1,681

-4.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.09 ₡488

146.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.59 ₡1,160

5.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.27 $9.27

$5.12 ₡2,295

81.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.64 $17.64

$19.92 ₡8,931

-11.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.80 ₡1,255

-28.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.52 ₡1,580

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.22 ₡549

59.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.71 $49.71

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-32.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.17 ₡973

136.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.56 ₡698

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.07 $30.07

$8.67 ₡3,886

246.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 ₡697

-38.06%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.17%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-31.47%

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

$159 $159

$94.8 ₡42.5K

67.53%

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

$82.9 $82.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

129.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

41.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 $39.22

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-46.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.95 $3.95

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-88.91%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$7.91 ₡3,548

89.89%

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

$1,086 $1,086

$490 ₡219.9K

121.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

107.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.44 $41.44

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-24.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.80 $38.80

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-30.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 $99.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

24.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$77.9 ₡34.9K

52.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$801 ₡359.1K

113.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$790 ₡354.1K

61.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,190 $3,190

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-20.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 $1,984

$1,409 ₡632.0K

40.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,249 $2,249

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-68.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 $2,273

$1,236 ₡554.3K

83.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 $3,984

$887 ₡397.6K

349.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

8.62

-23.09%

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

Last update for Chattanooga, 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

Chattanooga, TN

$1.3K 48.7%

Nosara

$790 43% 37.9% $482

Groceries & Markets

Chattanooga, TN

$429 16.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 18.4% $79

Eating Out

Chattanooga, TN

$318 12.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.1% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chattanooga, TN

$317 12.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 41.9% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Chattanooga, TN

$134 5.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 10% $13

Getting Around

Chattanooga, TN

$72 2.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 22.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chattanooga, TN

$69 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 29.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,707 in Chattanooga, 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 349% higher in Chattanooga, 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 $99.0 in Chattanooga, TN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $429 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chattanooga, TN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

2 h behind Chattanooga, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,588

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Chattanooga, TN Nosara 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chattanooga, 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

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

Chattanooga, TN costs about 42% 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 $3,917 per month in Chattanooga, 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,611 in Chattanooga, TN and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 42%.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Chattanooga, TN at $2,611. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chattanooga, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,611 in Chattanooga, 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, Chattanooga, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.