Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mission, TX and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,548 in Mission, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Mission, TX
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Mission, TX Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mission, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,548

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,548 in Mission, TX versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mission, TX $2,548
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,724 in Mission, TX versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mission, TX $3,724
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,900 in Mission, TX versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mission, TX $4,900
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mission, TX is roughly 39% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mission, TX 89% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$12.35 ₡5,556

52.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 $76.1

$61.2 ₡27.5K

24.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.52 ₡3,383

47.34%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$4.41 ₡1,984

15.65%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.74 ₡782

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.31 ₡589

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.28 ₡1,475

81.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.47 ₡2,010

54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.56 ₡703

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.02 ₡1,359

18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.51 ₡1,129

74.50%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$3.57 ₡1,608

18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.43 ₡3,344

62.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$10.52 ₡4,732

9.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 $15.30

$13.97 ₡6,284

9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.35 ₡1,055

103.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.61 ₡722

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.80 ₡2,159

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.61 ₡726

201.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.80 ₡1,708

-23.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$3.69 ₡1,662

-21.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.13 ₡508

83.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.66 ₡1,195

-18.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 $9.51

$5.18 ₡2,328

83.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 $14.18

$19.88 ₡8,944

-28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.90 ₡1,304

-36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.63 ₡1,631

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.12 ₡506

77.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.14 ₡961

58.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.57 ₡706

2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.40 $29.40

$8.52 ₡3,835

245.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.52 ₡684

-44.08%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

35.67%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.55%

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

$188 $188

$96.3 ₡43.3K

95.70%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$35.89 ₡16.1K

44.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$53.6 ₡24.1K

23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 $42.34

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-40.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.29 $13.29

$7.89 ₡3,550

68.44%

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

$1,303 $1,303

$494 ₡222.3K

163.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

98.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 $51.8

$53.9 ₡24.3K

-3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 $39.80

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-28.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$77.9 ₡35.1K

12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$79.6 ₡35.8K

39.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 $1,608

$788 ₡354.5K

104.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 $1,327

$794 ₡357.3K

67.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,594 $2,594

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,419 ₡638.4K

53.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-60.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 $2,455

$1,224 ₡550.7K

100.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

8.62

-24.48%

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

Last update for Mission, TX: 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

Mission, TX

$1.3K 52.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.1% $533

Groceries & Markets

Mission, TX

$388 15.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 9.3% $36

Eating Out

Mission, TX

$307 12%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mission, TX

$307 12%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mission, TX

$131 5.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 8.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mission, TX

$69 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.8% $18

Getting Around

Mission, TX

$19 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 349% $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 $1,608 in Mission, TX and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Mission, TX vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mission, TX

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h behind Mission, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,272

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mission, TX Nosara 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mission, TX
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

Mission, TX vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Mission, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,822 in Mission, TX 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: $1,608 in Mission, TX versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,303 in Mission, TX 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 Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $76.0 in Mission, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,548 in Mission, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Mission, TX. 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 $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mission, TX 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 39% less than in Mission, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.