Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cookeville, TN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,393 in Cookeville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Cookeville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,393

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,393 per month in Cookeville, TN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Cookeville, TN $2,393
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,623 per month in Cookeville, TN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Cookeville, TN $3,623
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,853 per month in Cookeville, TN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Cookeville, TN $4,853
Nosara $3,814

Cookeville, TN costs about 30% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cookeville, TN and Nosara sit above the global median – Cookeville, TN by 77%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.38 $21.38

$12.34 ₡5,535

73.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 $50.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-17.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 $8.01

$7.76 ₡3,481

3.22%

Cappuccino

$3.94 $3.94

$4.44 ₡1,992

-11.26%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.79 ₡803

48.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.29 ₡580

37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.24 ₡1,451

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 $4.57

$4.43 ₡1,985

3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.55 ₡696

-48.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.08 ₡1,380

-11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.68 $7.68

$2.53 ₡1,133

203.56%

Eggs

$3.36 $3.36

$3.45 ₡1,546

-2.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.40 $19.40

$7.32 ₡3,284

165.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$10.24 ₡4,594

-11.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$14.10 ₡6,326

25.39%

Apples (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$2.29 ₡1,027

323.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.64 ₡737

32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$4.79 ₡2,149

-55.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 ₡735

34.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.85 ₡1,727

-41.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.75 ₡1,681

-42.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.09 ₡488

164.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.59 ₡1,160

13.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.08 $9.08

$5.12 ₡2,295

77.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.38 $12.38

$19.92 ₡8,931

-37.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.80 ₡1,255

-36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$3.52 ₡1,580

125.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.17 ₡973

169.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.56 ₡698

-58.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.55 ₡697

-48.39%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.01%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-29.47%

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

$322 $322

$94.8 ₡42.5K

239.42%

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

$45.81 $45.81

$36.15 ₡16.2K

26.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.7 $85.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

61.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.21 $35.21

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-52.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.96 $37.96

$35.63 ₡16.0K

6.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 $14.15

$7.91 ₡3,548

78.89%

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

$827 $827

$490 ₡219.9K

68.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.50 $44.50

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-18.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 $45.06

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-19.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 $133

$80.4 ₡36.0K

65.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$77.9 ₡34.9K

79.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 $1,115

$801 ₡359.1K

39.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 $986

$790 ₡354.1K

24.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 $2,520

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-37.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$1,409 ₡632.0K

40.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,242 $2,242

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-68.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,254 $2,254

$1,236 ₡554.3K

82.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

8.62

-23.20%

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

Last update for Cookeville, TN: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cookeville, TN

$986 41.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 19.9% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cookeville, TN

$453 18.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 59.4% $269

Groceries & Markets

Cookeville, TN

$424 17.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 17.6% $75

Eating Out

Cookeville, TN

$294 12.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 27.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cookeville, TN

$163 6.8%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 25.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cookeville, TN

$64 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 41.1% $26

Getting Around

Cookeville, TN

$9 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 885% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,115 in Cookeville, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cookeville, TN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $424 in Cookeville, TN vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cookeville, TN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

1 h behind Cookeville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,340

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

Cookeville, TN Nosara 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cookeville, 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

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

Cookeville, TN costs about 30% 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 $3,590 per month in Cookeville, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cookeville, TN and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Cookeville, TN, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Cookeville, TN at $2,393. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cookeville, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,393 in Cookeville, 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, Cookeville, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.