Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,138 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Nogales versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Nogales $1,138
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,854 in Nogales versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Nogales $1,854
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,570 in Nogales versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Nogales $2,570
Nosara $3,712

Living in Nogales costs roughly 38% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nogales is 15% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$201

$12.22 ₡5,509

-10.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.05 MX$827

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-25.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$154

$7.54 ₡3,399

11.01%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$66.4

$4.31 ₡1,941

-16.01%

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

$1.35 MX$24.79

$1.72 ₡773

-21.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.01

$1.35 ₡608

-22.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$47.30

$3.24 ₡1,459

-20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$75.3

$4.48 ₡2,018

-8.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.09

$1.57 ₡707

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.22

$3.17 ₡1,429

-17.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.85

$2.42 ₡1,091

-28.51%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$46.77

$3.57 ₡1,609

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 MX$156

$7.43 ₡3,349

14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$156

$10.42 ₡4,697

-18.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 MX$217

$13.66 ₡6,156

-13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.0

$2.32 ₡1,044

17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.16

$1.61 ₡728

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.16

$4.74 ₡2,138

-59.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.05

$1.66 ₡747

11.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.01

$3.72 ₡1,679

-47.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.19

$3.57 ₡1,611

-46.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.54

$1.10 ₡497

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.31

$2.55 ₡1,149

-56.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MX$79.5

$4.95 ₡2,232

-12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 MX$195

$20.01 ₡9,020

-46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MX$33.71

$2.79 ₡1,256

-34.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$59.8

$3.53 ₡1,589

-7.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.66

$1.19 ₡537

-42.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MX$47.44

$2.24 ₡1,011

15.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 MX$37.79

$1.55 ₡701

32.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.28 MX$207

$8.86 ₡3,993

27.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.14

$1.57 ₡708

-5.73%

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

$21.2K MX$389.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-2.73%

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

$24.9K MX$456.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.20%

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

$62.4 MX$1,146

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-33.18%

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

$22.44 MX$412

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-36.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 MX$558

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-40.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.79 MX$639

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-51.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.65 MX$379

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-41.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MX$95.8

$7.84 ₡3,535

-33.42%

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

$224 MX$4,105

$490 ₡220.7K

-54.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,654 MX$85.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-60.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,012

$53.5 ₡24.1K

2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$778

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,891

$79.3 ₡35.7K

29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 MX$1,697

$78.9 ₡35.6K

17.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.3K

$786 ₡354.3K

-21.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 MX$7,341

$780 ₡351.6K

-48.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 MX$19.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-72.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MX$14.4K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-44.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,927 MX$35.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-72.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MX$21.1K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-4.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 Nogales: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$400 34.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 95% $380

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$269 23.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 30.1% $81

Eating Out

Nogales

$187 16.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 12.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$132 11.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 8.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$115 9.9%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 56.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$45 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 92.6% $42

Getting Around

Nogales

$16 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 456% $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 $614 in Nogales and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Nogales vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $350 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

21:43 9:43 PM

1 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

4,912

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nogales Nosara 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
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

Nogales vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nogales and Nosara differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,138 vs $1,837 including rent). Nogales is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,707 in Nogales and $2,756 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: $614 in Nogales versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Nogales versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nogales – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,138 in Nogales versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nogales but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Nogales the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nogales 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 Nogales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.