Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Carthage

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Carthage
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Carthage Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Carthage

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Carthage

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Carthage actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $693 in Carthage.

Nosara $1,839
Carthage $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,100 in Carthage.

Nosara $2,828
Carthage $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,508 in Carthage.

Nosara $3,818
Carthage $1,508

Living in Nosara is roughly 165% more expensive than in Carthage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Carthage is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.09 TND 12.26

201.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.71 TND 68.0

169.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.89 TND 17.65

27.67%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.15 TND 3.44

283.48%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.73 TND 2.20

138.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.29 TND 0.88

351.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.70 TND 5.08

92.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.05 TND 6.14

118.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.49 TND 1.46

218.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.26 TND 0.78

1061.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.78 TND 5.33

41.01%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.84 TND 5.50

94.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.20 TND 30.56

-27.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.74 TND 17.21

83.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.42 TND 43.20

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.31 TND 3.92

79.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.65 TND 10.93

-55.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.17 TND 3.49

310.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.83 TND 2.48

93.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.90 TND 2.70

322.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.69 TND 2.07

434.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.53 TND 1.60

113.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.34 TND 1.03

682.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.59 TND 10.75

44.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.62 TND 19.82

200.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.23 TND 3.68

135.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.24 TND 3.72

192.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.43 TND 1.30

160.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$13.96 TND 41.82

420.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.31 TND 0.92

590.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.34 TND 1.03

361.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.78 TND 5.34

378.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.88 TND 2.63

72.73%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.9K TND 119.4K

-45.80%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.4K TND 106.1K

-2.60%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$45.22 TND 135

112.94%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.23 TND 27.63

288.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.98 TND 62.9

155.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.18 TND 96.4

122.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.26 TND 39.70

163.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.17 TND 15.49

52.61%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$104 TND 311

375.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,218 TND 9,637

268.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$43.72 TND 131

23.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$59.3 TND 178

-6.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 TND 340

-31.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$67.7 TND 203

17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$211 TND 633

273.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$154 TND 463

414.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$209 TND 625

1787.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$272 TND 815

421.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$972 TND 2,911

611.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$622 TND 1,862

96.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$269 TND 807

220.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.28

-16.15%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Carthage: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Carthage

$154 22.3% 80.6% $640

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Carthage

$194 28% 44.9% $158

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Carthage

$81 11.7% 61.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Carthage

$75 10.9% 59.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Carthage

$128 18.5% 6.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Carthage

$43 6.1% 51.3% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Carthage

$18 2.6% 79.6% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $211 in Carthage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 220% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $23.00 in Carthage for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $194 per month, with Carthage cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇳 Carthage

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

21,276

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Carthage 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Carthage

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

Nosara vs Carthage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Carthage differ by about 165% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $693 including rent). Carthage is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 220% higher in Nosara, 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: $788 in Nosara versus $211 in Carthage. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Carthage – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $693 in Carthage versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Carthage but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Carthage 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, Nosara and Carthage 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 Carthage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 165% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.