Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,217 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,217
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,211
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,204 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,204
Nosara $3,818

Galveston, TX costs about 21% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galveston, TX and Nosara sit above the global median – Galveston, TX by 64%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.68 $21.68

$12.35 ₡5,539

75.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

25.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.52 ₡3,373

60.90%

Cappuccino

$7.86 $7.86

$4.41 ₡1,978

78.23%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.74 ₡780

68.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.31 ₡587

31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.47 ₡2,004

-13.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.56 ₡701

-48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.02 ₡1,355

-15.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.51 ₡1,125

17.53%

Eggs

$2.84 $2.84

$3.57 ₡1,603

-20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$7.43 ₡3,333

50.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$10.52 ₡4,717

-8.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$13.97 ₡6,265

-4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.35 ₡1,052

137.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.61 ₡720

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$4.80 ₡2,152

-35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.61 ₡724

139.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$3.80 ₡1,703

-43.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.69 ₡1,657

-31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.13 ₡507

55.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.66 ₡1,191

-31.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$5.18 ₡2,321

63.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 $11.29

$19.88 ₡8,916

-43.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$3.63 ₡1,626

-50.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.12 ₡504

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.52 $32.52

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-55.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 $10.11

$2.14 ₡958

372.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.57 ₡703

16.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 $59.9

$8.52 ₡3,823

603.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 ₡682

-39.47%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

36.16%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.92%

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

$179 $179

$96.3 ₡43.2K

85.73%

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

$42.34 $42.34

$35.89 ₡16.1K

17.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 $39.66

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-25.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.15 $34.15

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-52.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 $11.58

$7.89 ₡3,539

46.77%

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

$746 $746

$494 ₡221.6K

50.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

52.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.83 $42.83

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-20.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.03 $39.03

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 $71.5

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 $80.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$788 ₡353.4K

48.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 $1,057

$794 ₡356.2K

33.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 $2,119

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-46.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,419 ₡636.5K

11.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,739 $2,739

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-60.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,177 $2,177

$1,224 ₡549.0K

77.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,172 $4,172

$864 ₡387.3K

383.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for Galveston, 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

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 24.8% $262

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$355 16%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$322 14.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$261 11.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$105 4.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14% $15

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 46.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 52.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,167 in Galveston, TX versus $788 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 383% higher in Galveston, TX, 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 $77.0 in Galveston, TX versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $322 in Galveston, TX vs $352 in Nosara – so Galveston, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h behind Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Galveston, TX Nosara 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,217 in Galveston, TX, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,326 per month in Galveston, TX and $2,758 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 $2,217 in Galveston, TX and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 123% 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 $1,839, than in Galveston, TX at $2,217. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galveston, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,217 in Galveston, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Galveston, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.