Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Curepe

For one person, living is cheaper in Curepe: $1,374 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Curepe
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Curepe Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Curepe

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Curepe

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,374 in Curepe, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Curepe $1,374

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,382 in Curepe, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Curepe $2,382

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,389 in Curepe, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Curepe $3,389

Nosara costs about 34% more than Curepe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Curepe sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Curepe by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.26 TTD 69.1

20.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$87.5 TTD 589

-30.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.79 TTD 59.1

-14.45%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.82 TTD 25.73

15.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.99 TTD 6.68

75.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.78 TTD 5.22

67.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.25 TTD 15.15

45.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.80 TTD 25.56

17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.40 TTD 16.11

-35.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.54 TTD 17.06

18.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.82 TTD 18.99

-10.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.50 TTD 30.30

-20.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.81 TTD 45.80

9.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.29 TTD 69.2

2.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.79 TTD 79.3

18.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.40 TTD 36.30

-56.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.97 TTD 19.99

-45.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.66 TTD 24.63

31.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.26 TTD 28.68

-62.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.19 TTD 14.76

73.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.84 TTD 12.41

100.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.92 TTD 12.91

-41.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.41 TTD 9.48

88.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.78 TTD 38.86

-10.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$18.96 TTD 128

4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.25 TTD 15.13

28.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.10 TTD 20.84

17.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.56 TTD 3.79

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.05 TTD 7.08

103.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.23 TTD 8.30

27.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$15.04 TTD 101

-43.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.16 TTD 7.83

31.03%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$37.1K TTD 249.6K

-41.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$41.5K TTD 279.4K

-16.88%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$90.4 TTD 608

6.52%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$51.4 TTD 346

-30.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$56.6 TTD 380

-5.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.01 TTD 60.6

-12.43%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$392 TTD 2,640

25.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.0K TTD 73.7K

8.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.2 TTD 364

-0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$52.5 TTD 353

5.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$149 TTD 1,000

-47.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 TTD 699

-23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$732 TTD 4,927

7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$450 TTD 3,025

76.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,456 TTD 9,796

170.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,106 TTD 7,443

28.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$512 TTD 3,441

68.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.75

49.91%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Curepe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Curepe

$450 32.7% 43.4% $345

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Curepe

$357 26% 1.3% $4.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Curepe

$180 13.1% 14.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Curepe

$198 14.4% 6.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Curepe

$162 11.8% 34.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Curepe

$18 * 1.3% 79.4% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Curepe

$9.5 * 0.7% 89.1% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $732 in Curepe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $87.0 in Curepe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $357 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇹🇹 Curepe

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,758

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Curepe 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Curepe

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 Curepe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,374 in Curepe – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,062 in Curepe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Curepe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $87.0 in Curepe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Curepe, where all-in costs run around $1,374, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Curepe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,374 in Curepe to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Curepe. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.