Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marabella and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Marabella: $766 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Marabella
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Marabella Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Marabella

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$766

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $766 in Marabella versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Marabella $766
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Marabella versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Marabella $1,313
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,860 in Marabella versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Marabella $1,860
Nosara $3,818

Living in Marabella costs roughly 58% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Marabella is 43% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 TTD 68.3

$12.35 ₡5,539

-17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 TTD 395

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 TTD 55.4

$7.52 ₡3,373

9.57%

Cappuccino

$3.77 TTD 25.36

$4.41 ₡1,978

-14.51%

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

$1.01 TTD 6.77

$1.74 ₡780

-41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 TTD 4.78

$1.31 ₡587

-45.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 TTD 12.10

$3.28 ₡1,471

-45.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 TTD 17.57

$4.47 ₡2,004

-41.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 TTD 13.77

$1.56 ₡701

31.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 TTD 15.72

$3.02 ₡1,355

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 TTD 19.62

$2.51 ₡1,125

16.33%

Eggs

$3.81 TTD 25.61

$3.57 ₡1,603

6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.74 TTD 45.36

$7.43 ₡3,333

-9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 TTD 68.8

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.91 TTD 59.9

$13.97 ₡6,265

-36.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.60 TTD 37.66

$2.35 ₡1,052

138.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 TTD 16.81

$1.61 ₡720

55.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 TTD 24.69

$4.80 ₡2,152

-23.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 TTD 28.03

$1.61 ₡724

159.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 TTD 5.06

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$3.69 ₡1,657

-79.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 TTD 9.70

$1.13 ₡507

27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 TTD 7.85

$2.66 ₡1,191

-56.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 TTD 36.76

$5.18 ₡2,321

5.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.68 TTD 119

$19.88 ₡8,916

-11.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 TTD 9.93

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 TTD 19.74

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 TTD 5.87

$2.14 ₡958

-59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 TTD 5.83

$1.57 ₡703

-44.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.57 TTD 98.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

71.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 TTD 7.74

$1.52 ₡682

-24.34%

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

$37.3K TTD 250.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

72.41%

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

$42.0K TTD 282.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

21.55%

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

$43.38 TTD 292

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-54.95%

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

$41.83 TTD 281

$35.89 ₡16.1K

16.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.32 TTD 305

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-15.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 TTD 58.9

$7.89 ₡3,539

11.03%

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

$405 TTD 2,724

$494 ₡221.6K

-18.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-9.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 TTD 361

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 TTD 245

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-34.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 TTD 603

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 TTD 606

$79.6 ₡35.7K

13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

8.62

-33.29%

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

Last update for Marabella: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marabella

$319 41.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.3% $33

Eating Out

Marabella

$172 22.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marabella

$131 17%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 42.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Marabella

$121 15.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Marabella

$18 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 399% $70

Getting Around

Marabella

$5.2 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1575% $82

Accommodation & Living

Marabella

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $59.0 in Marabella vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $352 per month, with Marabella cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Marabella

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

2 h behind Marabella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,700

4,912

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marabella Nosara 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Marabella
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

Marabella vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marabella and Nosara differ by about 140% in total monthly costs ($766 vs $1,839 including rent). Marabella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,150 in Marabella and $2,758 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $766 per month in Marabella versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 140% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $766 in Marabella versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marabella but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Marabella 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, Marabella 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 Marabella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.