Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Matamoros $1,090
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,832 in Matamoros versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Matamoros $1,832
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,573 in Matamoros versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Matamoros $2,573
Nosara $3,818

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 41% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matamoros is 19% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 MX$229

$12.35 ₡5,539

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.67 MX$696

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-38.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 MX$167

$7.52 ₡3,373

20.48%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MX$60.8

$4.41 ₡1,978

-25.40%

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

$1.47 MX$27.18

$1.74 ₡780

-15.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$1.31 ₡587

-19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$41.81

$3.28 ₡1,471

-31.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.8

$4.47 ₡2,004

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.12

$1.56 ₡701

4.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 MX$44.43

$3.02 ₡1,355

-20.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.43

$2.51 ₡1,125

-32.27%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.54

$3.57 ₡1,603

-28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 MX$167

$7.43 ₡3,333

21.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 MX$144

$10.52 ₡4,717

-25.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$13.97 ₡6,265

-15.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MX$49.81

$2.35 ₡1,052

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$1.61 ₡720

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$4.80 ₡2,152

-65.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.92

$1.61 ₡724

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.01

$3.80 ₡1,703

-42.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.70

$3.69 ₡1,657

-43.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MX$29.73

$1.13 ₡507

42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.48

$2.66 ₡1,191

-54.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 MX$87.2

$5.18 ₡2,321

-8.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 MX$199

$19.88 ₡8,916

-45.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 MX$37.32

$2.90 ₡1,300

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MX$58.8

$3.63 ₡1,626

-12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$12.03

$1.12 ₡504

-41.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.0

$2.14 ₡958

26.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$1.57 ₡703

43.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.47 MX$212

$8.52 ₡3,823

34.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.72

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$23.5K MX$435.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

8.93%

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.81%

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

$56.2 MX$1,038

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-41.69%

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

$25.44 MX$470

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-29.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$492

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-50.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.88 MX$608

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-54.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 MX$414

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-35.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 MX$82.7

$7.89 ₡3,539

-43.22%

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

$223 MX$4,114

$494 ₡221.6K

-54.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,650 MX$85.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-60.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$986

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-1.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 MX$711

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-30.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,832

$77.9 ₡34.9K

27.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MX$1,467

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MX$11.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 MX$6,220

$794 ₡356.2K

-57.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-41.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 MX$37.7K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-70.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-13.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.62

31.09%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$337 30.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 136% $458

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$269 24.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30.8% $83

Eating Out

Matamoros

$196 18%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 8.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 11.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 1.3% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 9.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 71.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$42 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 109% $46

Getting Around

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 427% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $646 in Matamoros and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Matamoros vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $352 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h behind Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

4,912

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Matamoros Nosara 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
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

Matamoros vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,635 in Matamoros 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $646 in Matamoros versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Matamoros versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Matamoros 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 Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.