Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maricopa, AZ and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,478 in Maricopa, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Maricopa, AZ
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Maricopa, AZ Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Maricopa, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,478

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,478 per month in Maricopa, AZ vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Maricopa, AZ $2,478
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $3,390 per month in Maricopa, AZ vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Maricopa, AZ $3,390
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $4,302 per month in Maricopa, AZ vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Maricopa, AZ $4,302
Nosara $3,814

Maricopa, AZ costs about 35% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maricopa, AZ and Nosara sit above the global median – Maricopa, AZ by 83%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 $19.30

$12.34 ₡5,535

56.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$61.3 ₡27.5K

29.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 $13.17

$7.76 ₡3,481

69.72%

Cappuccino

$5.28 $5.28

$4.44 ₡1,992

18.92%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.79 ₡803

51.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.29 ₡580

68.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.24 ₡1,451

120.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$4.43 ₡1,985

67.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.55 ₡696

-34.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.08 ₡1,380

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.53 ₡1,133

100.00%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$3.45 ₡1,546

34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$7.32 ₡3,284

77.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$10.24 ₡4,594

11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.02 $17.02

$14.10 ₡6,326

20.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.29 ₡1,027

103.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.64 ₡737

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$4.79 ₡2,149

-19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.64 ₡735

153.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.85 ₡1,727

-34.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.75 ₡1,681

-23.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.09 ₡488

92.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.59 ₡1,160

-17.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 $10.92

$5.12 ₡2,295

113.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.91 $8.91

$19.92 ₡8,931

-55.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.80 ₡1,255

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.52 ₡1,580

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.22 ₡549

72.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.17 ₡973

30.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.56 ₡698

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.44 $35.44

$8.67 ₡3,886

308.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.55 ₡697

-29.03%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.26%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.04%

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

$147 $147

$94.8 ₡42.5K

55.13%

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

$62.4 $62.4

$36.15 ₡16.2K

72.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$53.1 ₡23.8K

24.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.09 $47.09

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-36.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.89 $12.89

$7.91 ₡3,548

62.96%

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

$1,110 $1,110

$490 ₡219.9K

126.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K $15.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

33.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.32 $32.32

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-41.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.91 $24.91

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-55.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.9 $64.9

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.7 $74.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$801 ₡359.1K

101.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$790 ₡354.1K

66.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 $1,925

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-51.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 $1,646

$1,409 ₡632.0K

16.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 $3,115

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-55.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,569 $2,569

$1,236 ₡554.3K

107.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,329 $6,329

$887 ₡397.6K

613.89%

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 Maricopa, AZ: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maricopa, AZ

$1.3K 53%

Nosara

$790 43% 39.9% $524

Groceries & Markets

Maricopa, AZ

$382 15.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 8.5% $32

Eating Out

Maricopa, AZ

$327 13.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 35% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maricopa, AZ

$276 11.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 33.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Maricopa, AZ

$89 3.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 36.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Maricopa, AZ

$73 2.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 23% $17

Getting Around

Maricopa, AZ

$18 * 0.7%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 393% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,612 in Maricopa, AZ 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 614% higher in Maricopa, AZ, 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 $79.0 in Maricopa, AZ versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Maricopa, AZ

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h ahead of Maricopa, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,000

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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Between locations

Maricopa, AZ Nosara 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Maricopa, AZ
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

Maricopa, AZ vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maricopa, AZ costs about 35% 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 $3,717 per month in Maricopa, AZ 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 $79.0 in Maricopa, AZ and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Maricopa, AZ, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Maricopa, AZ at $2,478. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maricopa, AZ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $2,478 in Maricopa, AZ. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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