Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingsport, TN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $1,956 in Kingsport, TN, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kingsport, TN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Kingsport, TN
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Kingsport, TN Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Kingsport, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,956

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,956 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Kingsport, TN $1,956
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,192 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Kingsport, TN $3,192
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,429 per month in Kingsport, TN vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Kingsport, TN $4,429
Nosara $3,814

Kingsport, TN costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kingsport, TN and Nosara sit above the global median – Kingsport, TN by 44%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.31 $17.31

$12.34 ₡5,535

40.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 $55.8

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-9.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 $11.31

$7.76 ₡3,481

45.75%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$4.44 ₡1,992

19.14%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.79 ₡803

27.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.29 ₡580

48.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.24 ₡1,451

37.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$4.43 ₡1,985

59.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.55 ₡696

-46.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 $2.68

$3.08 ₡1,380

-12.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.53 ₡1,133

-14.62%

Eggs

$3.44 $3.44

$3.45 ₡1,546

-0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 $14.19

$7.32 ₡3,284

93.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 $8.27

$10.24 ₡4,594

-19.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$14.10 ₡6,326

21.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$2.29 ₡1,027

130.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.64 ₡737

-29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$4.79 ₡2,149

-22.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.64 ₡735

173.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.85 ₡1,727

-41.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.75 ₡1,681

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.09 ₡488

95.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.59 ₡1,160

-20.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.15 $8.15

$5.12 ₡2,295

59.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$19.92 ₡8,931

-49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.80 ₡1,255

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.52 ₡1,580

36.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.56 ₡698

-58.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.55 ₡697

-48.39%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.10%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.42%

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

$123 $123

$94.8 ₡42.5K

29.42%

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

$49.91 $49.91

$36.15 ₡16.2K

38.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 $63.9

$53.1 ₡23.8K

20.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 $42.34

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-42.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$7.91 ₡3,548

52.72%

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

$563 $563

$490 ₡219.9K

14.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.90 $44.90

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-18.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.98 $33.98

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-39.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 $90.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 $1,119

$801 ₡359.1K

39.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 $888

$790 ₡354.1K

12.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-41.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,055 $2,055

$1,409 ₡632.0K

45.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 $1,917

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-72.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$1,236 ₡554.3K

51.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,846 $3,846

$887 ₡397.6K

333.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for Kingsport, TN: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingsport, TN

$888 45.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 11% $98

Groceries & Markets

Kingsport, TN

$348 17.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Kingsport, TN

$289 14.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 26.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingsport, TN

$237 12.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 22.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Kingsport, TN

$125 6.4%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kingsport, TN

$67 3.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 34.7% $23

Getting Around

Kingsport, TN

$3.2 * 0.2%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 2665% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,119 in Kingsport, TN versus $801 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 334% higher in Kingsport, TN, 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 $56.0 in Kingsport, TN versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $350 – making Kingsport, TN the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kingsport, TN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h behind Kingsport, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,014

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Kingsport, TN Nosara 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingsport, TN
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

Kingsport, TN vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,956 in Kingsport, TN, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,934 per month in Kingsport, TN and $2,753 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Kingsport, TN and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Kingsport, TN – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Kingsport, TN at $1,956. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingsport, TN 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $1,956 in Kingsport, TN. 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, Kingsport, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.