Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McMinnville, TN and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,539 in McMinnville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

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

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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McMinnville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,539

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,539 in McMinnville, TN versus $1,835 in Nosara.

McMinnville, TN $2,539
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,745 in McMinnville, TN versus $2,825 in Nosara.

McMinnville, TN $3,745
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,952 in McMinnville, TN versus $3,814 in Nosara.

McMinnville, TN $4,952
Nosara $3,814

Living in McMinnville, TN is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McMinnville, TN 87% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$12.34 ₡5,535

62.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

23.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 $11.48

$7.76 ₡3,481

47.94%

Cappuccino

$4.67 $4.67

$4.44 ₡1,992

5.18%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.79 ₡803

49.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.29 ₡580

50.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 $6.42

$3.24 ₡1,451

98.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 $7.41

$4.43 ₡1,985

67.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 ₡696

-32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.08 ₡1,380

17.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.53 ₡1,133

78.26%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$3.45 ₡1,546

36.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.01 $14.01

$7.32 ₡3,284

91.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$10.24 ₡4,594

0.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 $18.88

$14.10 ₡6,326

33.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.29 ₡1,027

104.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.64 ₡737

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$4.79 ₡2,149

-4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.64 ₡735

180.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.85 ₡1,727

-26.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.75 ₡1,681

-32.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.09 ₡488

91.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.59 ₡1,160

-19.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 $10.17

$5.12 ₡2,295

98.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.64 $13.64

$19.92 ₡8,931

-31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.80 ₡1,255

-26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.52 ₡1,580

-4.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.22 ₡549

85.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.17 ₡973

59.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.56 ₡698

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.94 $33.94

$8.67 ₡3,886

291.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡697

-40.65%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-13.34%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-28.73%

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

$198 $198

$94.8 ₡42.5K

108.91%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$36.15 ₡16.2K

63.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$53.1 ₡23.8K

49.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.88 $46.88

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-36.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 $11.97

$7.91 ₡3,548

51.33%

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

$1,582 $1,582

$490 ₡219.9K

222.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

78.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 $51.8

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.84 $45.84

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 $88.6

$80.4 ₡36.0K

10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$77.9 ₡34.9K

57.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$801 ₡359.1K

98.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 $1,256

$790 ₡354.1K

59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,610 $2,610

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-34.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,123 $2,123

$1,409 ₡632.0K

50.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,699 $2,699

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-61.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 $2,264

$1,236 ₡554.3K

83.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,489 $1,489

$887 ₡397.6K

67.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

8.62

-23.78%

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

Last update for McMinnville, TN: 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

McMinnville, TN

$1.3K 49.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 37.1% $466

Groceries & Markets

McMinnville, TN

$400 15.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 12.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McMinnville, TN

$337 13.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 45.3% $153

Eating Out

McMinnville, TN

$317 12.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 32.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

McMinnville, TN

$139 5.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 12.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

McMinnville, TN

$71 2.8%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 26.5% $19

Getting Around

McMinnville, TN

$20 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 337% $68

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 $1,593 in McMinnville, TN and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McMinnville, TN pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in McMinnville, TN vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McMinnville, TN

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

1 h behind McMinnville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,410

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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

McMinnville, TN Nosara 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

McMinnville, 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

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

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in McMinnville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% higher in McMinnville, TN, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,593 in McMinnville, TN versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in McMinnville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,539 per month in McMinnville, TN versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,539 in McMinnville, TN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in McMinnville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,835 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, McMinnville, TN 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in McMinnville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.