Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,125 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,125

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,125 per month in El Paso, TX vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,125
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $3,167 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,167
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in El Paso, TX vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,209
Nosara $3,790

El Paso, TX costs about 15% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both El Paso, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – El Paso, TX by 57%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$12.38 ₡5,568

52.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

27.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$7.81 ₡3,513

52.50%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$4.37 ₡1,966

38.67%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$1.78 ₡800

33.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.35 ₡605

19.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.39 ₡1,526

81.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.31 ₡1,939

60.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.55 ₡699

-47.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.17 ₡1,425

-9.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.51 ₡1,130

-0.80%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$3.53 ₡1,585

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 $11.79

$7.37 ₡3,313

59.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$10.46 ₡4,703

11.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$13.91 ₡6,255

-8.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.26 ₡1,018

59.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.56 ₡701

-5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$4.70 ₡2,113

-47.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.62 ₡729

121.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.88 ₡1,746

-44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.79 ₡1,704

-27.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.07 ₡481

71.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.61 ₡1,174

-40.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.23 $10.23

$5.16 ₡2,319

98.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$20.33 ₡9,143

-53.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.91 ₡1,310

-28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.67 ₡1,651

34.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.31 ₡588

11.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.84 $48.84

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-33.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.19 ₡984

-22.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.84 ₡829

-25.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.31 $27.31

$7.81 ₡3,513

249.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.56 ₡702

-38.46%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

-17.92%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-31.42%

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

$163 $163

$95.9 ₡43.1K

70.52%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$35.37 ₡15.9K

105.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$53.7 ₡24.1K

28.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.03 $18.03

$67.5 ₡30.3K

-73.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.43 $8.43

$35.43 ₡15.9K

-76.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 $11.99

$7.72 ₡3,473

55.31%

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

$699 $699

$496 ₡222.8K

41.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K $11.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-2.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.52 $45.52

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.91 $35.91

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-34.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$79.8 ₡35.9K

27.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 $177

$77.9 ₡35.0K

126.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 $1,072

$817 ₡367.5K

31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 $908

$800 ₡359.7K

13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$3,889 ₡1.7M

-59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$1,396 ₡627.6K

5.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 $1,930

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-72.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 $1,702

$1,222 ₡549.6K

39.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,348 $3,348

$879 ₡395.3K

280.77%

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 El Paso, TX: November 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$908 42.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 11.9% $108

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$325 15.3%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 8.5% $28

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$320 15.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$305 14.4%

Nosara

$185 10% 39.4% $120

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$162 7.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25.8% $42

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 42.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$42 2%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 97.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in El Paso, TX versus $817 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 in El Paso, TX are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in El Paso, TX versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in El Paso, TX vs $353 in Nosara – so El Paso, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Paso, TX Nosara 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, 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

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

El Paso, TX costs about 15% 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 $3,187 per month in El Paso, TX and $2,765 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,072 in El Paso, TX.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,125 in El Paso, TX and $1,844 in Nosara. That makes Nosara about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in El Paso, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,125 in El Paso, TX and $1,844 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nosara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, El Paso, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.