Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cozumel

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 Cozumel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,167 in Cozumel.

Nosara $1,837
Cozumel $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,884 in Cozumel.

Nosara $2,775
Cozumel $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,602 in Cozumel.

Nosara $3,712
Cozumel $2,602

Living in Nosara is roughly 57% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Cozumel is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$8.71 MX$158

40.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$45.03 MX$819

33.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$8.23 MX$150

-8.38%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.79 MX$50.7

54.48%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.11 MX$20.20

54.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.02 MX$18.62

32.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.69 MX$30.74

91.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.17 MX$57.7

41.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.43 MX$26.05

9.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.64 MX$29.92

93.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.76 MX$32.02

37.50%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.89 MX$34.40

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.33 MX$188

-28.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$8.06 MX$147

29.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.85 MX$234

6.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.47 MX$44.91

-6.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.40 MX$25.46

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.13 MX$38.71

122.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.53 MX$27.90

8.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.24 MX$40.74

66.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.77 MX$32.13

101.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.46 MX$26.57

-24.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.20 MX$21.83

112.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.43 MX$80.6

11.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.96 MX$199

82.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.54 MX$27.97

81.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.57 MX$46.70

37.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.69 MX$12.47

72.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$67.2 MX$1,222

7.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.84 MX$51.6

-21.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.97 MX$35.87

-21.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$9.29 MX$169

-4.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.37 MX$24.88

14.60%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$20.5K MX$373.6K

6.16%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.3K MX$442.7K

42.31%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$59.7 MX$1,087

56.43%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$20.99 MX$382

67.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$22.26 MX$405

131.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$39.08 MX$711

82.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$20.46 MX$372

73.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.13 MX$112

27.90%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$261 MX$4,745

87.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,671 MX$66.8K

223.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$54.3 MX$988

-1.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$54.2 MX$985

2.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$104 MX$1,893

-23.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$84.7 MX$1,541

-6.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$606 MX$11.0K

29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$399 MX$7,259

95.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,619 MX$29.4K

138.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$767 MX$13.9K

83.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,922 MX$35.0K

262.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,163 MX$21.2K

3.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$662 MX$12.0K

32.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.64

-25.95%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cozumel: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Cozumel

$399 33.9% 48.8% $381

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Cozumel

$257 21.8% 26.4% $92

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Cozumel

$151 12.8% 27.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Cozumel

$103 8.7% 42.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Cozumel

$134 11.4% 11.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cozumel

$51 4.4% 41% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cozumel

$83 7% 4.9% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $606 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 32% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $45.00 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $257 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

77,236

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cozumel 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Cozumel differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $1,167 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $606 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – 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 $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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 Cozumel 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 Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.