Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moab, UT and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,844 a month against $2,104 in Moab, UT, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Moab, UT
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Moab, UT Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Moab, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,104

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Moab, UT versus $1,844 in Nosara.

Moab, UT $2,104
Nosara $1,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,381 in Moab, UT versus $2,817 in Nosara.

Moab, UT $3,381
Nosara $2,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,657 in Moab, UT versus $3,790 in Nosara.

Moab, UT $4,657
Nosara $3,790

Living in Moab, UT is roughly 14% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Moab, UT 56% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 $20.15

$12.38 ₡5,577

62.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$60.6 ₡27.3K

0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 $13.20

$7.81 ₡3,518

69.01%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$4.37 ₡1,969

14.87%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.78 ₡802

47.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.35 ₡606

34.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.39 ₡1,528

74.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$4.31 ₡1,942

42.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.55 ₡700

-41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.17 ₡1,428

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$2.51 ₡1,132

-27.89%

Eggs

$2.65 $2.65

$3.53 ₡1,587

-24.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 $8.60

$7.37 ₡3,318

16.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 $9.01

$10.46 ₡4,710

-13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.16 $15.16

$13.91 ₡6,264

8.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.26 ₡1,020

135.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.56 ₡703

-1.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.70 ₡2,116

-30.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.62 ₡730

130.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.88 ₡1,749

-44.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.79 ₡1,706

-41.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.07 ₡482

90.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.61 ₡1,176

-14.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$5.16 ₡2,323

111.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$20.33 ₡9,157

-35.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.91 ₡1,312

-31.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.67 ₡1,653

6.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ₡589

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡33.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₡985

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.84 ₡831

59.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,519

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.56 ₡703

-41.03%

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

$42.0K $42.0K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

25.79%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-1.83%

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

$170 $170

$95.9 ₡43.2K

77.86%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$35.37 ₡15.9K

99.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$53.7 ₡24.2K

36.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 ₡30.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.43 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$7.72 ₡3,478

93.39%

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

$1,147 $1,147

$496 ₡223.2K

131.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.31 $26.31

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-52.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$79.8 ₡36.0K

5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 $98.4

$77.9 ₡35.1K

26.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 $1,113

$817 ₡368.0K

36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$800 ₡360.3K

22.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,215 $2,215

$1,396 ₡628.5K

58.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,847 $4,847

$6,977 ₡3.1M

-30.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,513 $4,513

$1,222 ₡550.4K

269.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡395.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.91

8.62

-19.84%

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

Last update for Moab, UT: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moab, UT

$977 46.4%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 18.1% $177

Groceries & Markets

Moab, UT

$331 15.7%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 6.4% $21

Eating Out

Moab, UT

$321 15.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 33.5% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moab, UT

$314 14.9%

Nosara

$185 10% 41.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Moab, UT

$117 5.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Moab, UT

$30 * 1.4%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 178% $53

Getting Around

Moab, UT

$15 * 0.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 513% $75

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 $1,113 in Moab, UT and $817 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Moab, UT vs $61 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $353 per month, with Moab, UT cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Moab, UT

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

1 h ahead of Moab, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,300

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moab, UT Nosara 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Moab, UT
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

Moab, UT vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,156 in Moab, UT and $2,765 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: $1,113 in Moab, UT versus $817 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Moab, UT pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Childcare runs $1,147 in Moab, UT versus $496 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Moab, UT and Nosara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.