Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mayaguez and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mayaguez: $1,288 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Mayaguez
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Mayaguez Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mayaguez

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,288

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,288 in Mayaguez versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mayaguez $1,288
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Mayaguez versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mayaguez $1,991
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,694 in Mayaguez versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mayaguez $2,694
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mayaguez costs roughly 30% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mayaguez is 5% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.78 $12.78

$12.35 ₡5,539

3.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 $67.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

9.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.81%

Cappuccino

$3.60 $3.60

$4.41 ₡1,978

-18.37%

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

$1.25 $1.25

$1.74 ₡780

-28.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.31 ₡587

-15.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.28 ₡1,471

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.47 ₡2,004

-2.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.56 ₡701

37.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.02 ₡1,355

21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.51 ₡1,125

-7.57%

Eggs

$7.34 $7.34

$3.57 ₡1,603

105.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$7.43 ₡3,333

71.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 $9.68

$10.52 ₡4,717

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.06 $13.06

$13.97 ₡6,265

-6.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.35 ₡1,052

114.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.61 ₡720

57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$4.80 ₡2,152

0.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.61 ₡724

206.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.80 ₡1,703

-1.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.69 ₡1,657

6.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.13 ₡507

202.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.66 ₡1,191

-39.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.92 $11.92

$5.18 ₡2,321

130.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 $15.54

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.90 ₡1,300

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.63 ₡1,626

11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.14 ₡958

15.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.57 ₡703

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.76 $41.76

$8.52 ₡3,823

390.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 ₡682

-33.55%

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

$39.3K $39.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

81.99%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.52%

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

$318 $318

$96.3 ₡43.2K

229.77%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

92.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$53.6 ₡24.0K

30.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.89 $27.89

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-61.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 $10.66

$7.89 ₡3,539

35.11%

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

$814 $814

$494 ₡221.6K

64.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$55.4 ₡24.8K

10.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.32%

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 %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Mayaguez: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mayaguez

$457 35.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.3% $271

Groceries & Markets

Mayaguez

$413 32.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.7% $61

Eating Out

Mayaguez

$206 16%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 3.1% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Mayaguez

$154 12%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mayaguez

$49 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 77.5% $38

Getting Around

Mayaguez

$9.9 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 780% $77

Accommodation & Living

Mayaguez

- * 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: $67.0 in Mayaguez vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Mayaguez

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

2 h behind Mayaguez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,566

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mayaguez Nosara 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mayaguez
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

Mayaguez vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mayaguez is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,932 in Mayaguez 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.

Childcare runs $814 in Mayaguez 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 Mayaguez – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,288 in Mayaguez versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mayaguez but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mayaguez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mayaguez is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mayaguez 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 Mayaguez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.