Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denton, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,350 in Denton, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Denton, TX
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Denton, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Denton, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,350

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,350 in Denton, TX versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Denton, TX $2,350
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,547 in Denton, TX versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Denton, TX $3,547
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,745 in Denton, TX versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Denton, TX $4,745
Nosara $3,818

Living in Denton, TX is roughly 28% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denton, TX 74% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.78 $17.78

$12.35 ₡5,539

43.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 $11.21

$7.52 ₡3,373

49.07%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$4.41 ₡1,978

14.06%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.74 ₡780

49.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.31 ₡587

22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.28 ₡1,471

79.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.47 ₡2,004

55.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.56 ₡701

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.02 ₡1,355

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.51 ₡1,125

17.93%

Eggs

$2.73 $2.73

$3.57 ₡1,603

-23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$7.43 ₡3,333

35.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.52 ₡4,717

-4.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.51 $16.51

$13.97 ₡6,265

18.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.35 ₡1,052

95.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.61 ₡720

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.80 ₡2,152

-30.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.61 ₡724

161.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.69 ₡1,657

-20.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.13 ₡507

36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.66 ₡1,191

0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.19 $10.19

$5.18 ₡2,321

96.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.69 $11.69

$19.88 ₡8,916

-41.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.90 ₡1,300

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.63 ₡1,626

5.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.12 ₡504

36.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.29 $48.29

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-33.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.14 ₡958

53.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.57 ₡703

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$8.52 ₡3,823

251.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.52 ₡682

-35.53%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.62%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-21.23%

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

$223 $223

$96.3 ₡43.2K

131.83%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

87.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

40.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.67 $32.67

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-54.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.26 $32.26

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-7.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 $16.00

$7.89 ₡3,539

102.79%

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

$1,796 $1,796

$494 ₡221.6K

263.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K $20.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

68.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-9.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$79.6 ₡35.7K

62.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$788 ₡353.4K

60.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 $1,061

$794 ₡356.2K

33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 $2,322

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,419 ₡636.5K

35.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 $2,712

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-60.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,175 $2,175

$1,224 ₡549.0K

77.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,782 $3,782

$864 ₡387.3K

337.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

8.62

-21.35%

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

Last update for Denton, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denton, TX

$1.1K 45.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 25.1% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denton, TX

$366 15.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 49.2% $180

Groceries & Markets

Denton, TX

$348 14.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.1% $3.8

Eating Out

Denton, TX

$296 12.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Denton, TX

$148 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.1% $28

Getting Around

Denton, TX

$65 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 33.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Denton, TX

$65 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in Denton, TX and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denton, TX pays 338% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Denton, TX vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $352, with Denton, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denton, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

1 h behind Denton, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,561

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Denton, TX Nosara 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Denton, TX
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

Denton, TX vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Denton, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 338% higher in Denton, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,267 in Denton, TX versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Denton, TX pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $75.0 in Denton, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,350 in Denton, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Denton, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Denton, TX and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Denton, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.