Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houma, LA and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,059 in Houma, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Houma, LA
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Houma, LA Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Houma, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,059

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Houma, LA vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Houma, LA $2,059
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,039 per month in Houma, LA vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Houma, LA $3,039
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,018 per month in Houma, LA vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Houma, LA $4,018
Nosara $3,712

Houma, LA costs about 12% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Houma, LA and Nosara sit above the global median – Houma, LA by 54%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$12.22 ₡5,509

66.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 $50.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-16.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$7.54 ₡3,399

58.49%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.31 ₡1,941

29.70%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$1.72 ₡773

22.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.35 ₡608

22.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.24 ₡1,459

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$4.48 ₡2,018

8.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 ₡707

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.17 ₡1,429

21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.42 ₡1,091

113.22%

Eggs

$1.77 $1.77

$3.57 ₡1,609

-50.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 $10.56

$7.43 ₡3,349

42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$10.42 ₡4,697

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$13.66 ₡6,156

10.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.32 ₡1,044

121.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.61 ₡728

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$4.74 ₡2,138

13.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.66 ₡747

142.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.72 ₡1,679

-44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.57 ₡1,611

-7.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.10 ₡497

85.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.55 ₡1,149

5.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.60 $8.60

$4.95 ₡2,232

73.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 $13.12

$20.01 ₡9,020

-34.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.79 ₡1,256

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.53 ₡1,589

14.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.24 ₡1,011

59.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.55 ₡701

-1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.18 $35.18

$8.86 ₡3,993

297.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.57 ₡708

-40.76%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

64.51%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-24.34%

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

$151 $151

$93.5 ₡42.1K

61.27%

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

$71.1 $71.1

$35.11 ₡15.8K

102.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.43 $48.43

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-5.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.71 $27.71

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-61.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.69 $12.69

$7.84 ₡3,535

61.86%

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

$1,535 $1,535

$490 ₡220.7K

213.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-14.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$53.5 ₡24.1K

7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 $43.31

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$79.3 ₡35.7K

9.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$78.9 ₡35.6K

49.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 $1,073

$786 ₡354.3K

36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 $909

$780 ₡351.6K

16.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 $1,549

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-59.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 $1,439

$1,407 ₡634.4K

2.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,465 $1,465

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-78.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,431 $1,431

$1,201 ₡541.3K

19.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 $3,795

$876 ₡395.0K

333.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Houma, LA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houma, LA

$909 44%

Nosara

$780 43% 14.2% $129

Groceries & Markets

Houma, LA

$380 18.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 8% $30

Eating Out

Houma, LA

$306 14.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 31.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houma, LA

$270 13.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 33.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Houma, LA

$137 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 12.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Houma, LA

$53 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 64.1% $34

Getting Around

Houma, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 675% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,073 in Houma, LA versus $786 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 333% higher in Houma, LA, 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 $51.0 in Houma, LA versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Houma, LA vs $350 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houma, LA

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h behind Houma, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,657

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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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Highest

Between locations

Houma, LA Nosara 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Houma, LA
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

Houma, LA vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Houma, LA is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,088 per month in Houma, LA and $2,756 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 $2,059 in Houma, LA and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $1,535 per month in Houma, LA and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Houma, LA at $2,059. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Houma, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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