Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburg, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,581 in Edinburg, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Edinburg, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,581

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,581 in Edinburg, TX versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Edinburg, TX $2,581
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,775 in Edinburg, TX versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Edinburg, TX $3,775
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,968 in Edinburg, TX versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Edinburg, TX $4,968
Nosara $3,814

Living in Edinburg, TX is roughly 41% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburg, TX 90% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$12.34 ₡5,535

52.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

24.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 $10.96

$7.76 ₡3,481

41.24%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$4.44 ₡1,992

11.49%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.79 ₡803

38.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.29 ₡580

51.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.24 ₡1,451

79.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$4.43 ₡1,985

60.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 ₡696

-36.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.08 ₡1,380

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.53 ₡1,133

71.54%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$3.45 ₡1,546

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$7.32 ₡3,284

70.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$10.24 ₡4,594

10.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 $15.13

$14.10 ₡6,326

7.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.29 ₡1,027

113.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.64 ₡737

-3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$4.79 ₡2,149

-10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.64 ₡735

192.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.85 ₡1,727

-26.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.75 ₡1,681

-26.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.09 ₡488

92.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.59 ₡1,160

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$5.12 ₡2,295

91.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 $13.85

$19.92 ₡8,931

-30.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.80 ₡1,255

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.52 ₡1,580

-1.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.22 ₡549

65.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.17 ₡973

64.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.56 ₡698

7.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.86 $28.86

$8.67 ₡3,886

232.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.55 ₡697

-46.45%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.91%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.75%

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

$190 $190

$94.8 ₡42.5K

99.88%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

44.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

26.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 $43.70

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-40.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 $13.76

$7.91 ₡3,548

73.96%

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

$1,288 $1,288

$490 ₡219.9K

162.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

94.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-7.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.96 $39.96

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$80.4 ₡36.0K

8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$77.9 ₡34.9K

44.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 $1,627

$801 ₡359.1K

103.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 $1,362

$790 ₡354.1K

72.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-35.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,253 $2,253

$1,409 ₡632.0K

59.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,824 $2,824

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,236 ₡554.3K

95.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

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 Edinburg, TX: 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

Edinburg, TX

$1.4K 52.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 42% $572

Groceries & Markets

Edinburg, TX

$385 14.9%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 9.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburg, TX

$309 12%

Nosara

$184 10% 40.5% $125

Eating Out

Edinburg, TX

$304 11.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburg, TX

$131 5.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 7.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburg, TX

$71 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 25.8% $18

Getting Around

Edinburg, TX

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 344% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Edinburg, TX and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Edinburg, TX vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edinburg, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

08:44 8:44 AM

1 h behind Edinburg, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,243

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Edinburg, TX Nosara 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Edinburg, 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

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

Edinburg, TX and Nosara differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,581 vs $1,835 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,872 in Edinburg, TX and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,627 in Edinburg, TX versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,288 in Edinburg, TX versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $76.0 in Edinburg, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,581 in Edinburg, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Edinburg, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Edinburg, 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 41% less than in Edinburg, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.